Shikamaru: Lost in Fog
by The Reading Maid
Summary: After the Sound nin attack, Konoha is a wreck. They need money for repairs. But they don't have it. A rich Fog Village Lord has offered to buy Shikamaru. For a lot of money. Shika accepts, but is there unseen danger in the fog? ShikaIno. For Shika Lovers.
1. Chapter 1

Shikamaru: Lost in Fog

Hello, readers.

This is my second fan-fic and I am really excited and pumped over this story. I am writing this story for Shikamaru lovers, and all those in favor of ShikaIno! Yay!

Anyway. Just saying this now, I'm not really sure about Tsunade's character. I don't really know anything about her; so if you see anything that is desperately out of character, please tell me. Thanks!

I think I made up the Village of Fog. If I didn't, then don't think I'm talking about the one you know. This is a Village of Fog from my head.

Also, sadly, I do not own Naruto. Sigh.

For this story, I'm making the rookie nine all fifteen (everyone else's ages adjust as well, but I don't feel like researching the details myself)

The setting of this story is after the big fight thing during the third part of the chunin exams. Sasuke did not run away and stuff. The sound guys attacked, the leaf guys beat them away, and now a large part of the village is in need of repair. The fifth Hokage has called a meeting of the village.

Chapter One:

"Now. I'm not going to tell you all anything but the cold hard truth." Her mouth was set in a tight line on her face. "Our village is a wreck. We need a lot of repairs and rebuilding, thanks to those good for nothing, troublemaking sound ninja." She cleared her throat. "Anyway. The point is, our village can't afford to pay for all of this reconstruction."

This exclamation was met by a wave of murmuring. The Hokage raised her hand and silence fell. "The other jonin and I are working on coming up with the money, but any ideas or contributions from you all will be greatly appreciated." With that, the Hokage left the meeting building, followed by several of the jonin and other important figures, and everyone else left, talking among themselves about the situation.

In the back of the hall, several genin and one chunin were standing together. Naruto Uzamaki, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, Ino Yamanaka, Choji, Hinata and Neji Hyuga, TenTen, and the newly made chunin Shikamaru Nara.

"Well, that was a boring meeting," Naruto yawned and stretched. "Let's go get some ramen." Choji seconded the motion, but then both Sakura and Ino clobbered their respective idiots over the heads.

"How can you say something like this isn't important?!" Sakura said to Naruto.

"Yeah, you too Choji." Even though, on the inside, Ino knew that food was never very far from Choji's immediate thoughts, and often pushed more serious things out of the way.

Neji just smirked and walked away, melting into the crowd. Hinata pushed two fingers together and said, "I didn't know the damage was so bad. We must need a lot of money, if Lady Hokage is asking the villagers for their help."

Shikamaru wasn't paying any attention to the conversation, but was thinking about how long it had been since he had gotten any cloud watching time. There had been so much chaos when the sound ninja attacked, then the aftermath, then his being made a chunin…it was all too much. He sighed, and just then his old sensei Asuma came up to him.

"Sensei!" Ino greeted her teacher with a smile, as did Choji.

"Hello, Ino, Choji. Team 7. Hinata. TenTen." He turned to Shikamaru. "The Hokage needs to talk to you, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru sighed, shoved his hands in his pockets. "How troublesome…"

Asuma turned back to the others. "Your sensei will be in this meeting for a while, so you can probably all go do what you want."

Tenten walked away, thinking, _Maybe Neji will take a break from training and we can go do something together_. Sasuke followed suit, except he wasn't thinking about Neji.

As Shikamaru and Asuma walked away, Ino watched them go, thinking,_ that chunin vest looks so good on Shikamaru…_. Then she realized what she was thinking and gave herself a mental slap. She hit her hand with her fist, a determined look in her eyes. "Let's go listen in on that meeting."

"Why? You know Shikamaru will just tell us about it later," Choji said, breaking into a bag of chips he pulled out of nowhere.

"You can't count what Shikamaru will say as telling us about it. All he'll say is 'It was troublesome'. No, Choji, we're going to go do some eavesdropping." She turned to Sakura. "Coming, Billboard-Brow?" Sakura growled as Ino dragged Choji away, after Asuma and Shikamaru.

"Let's go, Naruto!"

"But Sakura, I was gonna go for Ramen!"

"Too bad!" She grabbed the front of his jacket and marched him away.

"Come on, Hinata!" Naruto took hold of Hinata's wrist and pulled her along with him, not noticing the blush that crept onto Hinata's normally pale face.

Ino, Choji, Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata all stopped outside the smaller meeting room. The door was open just a crack and all (except Hinata, who was standing nervously to the side) stacked up and listed to what was going on inside.

Shikamaru had walked into the room with Asuma to find only a few of the village's best jonin there, including Kakashi, Gai, Anko, Iruka, Kurenai, and a guy he recognized as the moderator from the third part of the exam, along with a few he didn't know. The Hokage leaned against a desk, arms folded, eyes shut. In the middle of the room was a chair. When the Hokage heard them come in, she opened her eyes.

"Good. Thank you, Asuma. Shikamaru, please sit down." Asuma went over to stand with Kurenai as Shikamaru took the seat cautiously. He had a bad feeling about this.

They waited in silence for about a minute. Then the Hokage straightened and spoke. "I'm not gonna beat around the bush with you, Shikamaru. From what Asuma's told me about you, you like to hear things straight forward. And you're pretty smart. Anyway." Here eyes hardened. "There was a Lord from the Village of Fog at the Chunin exams. He saw your match against Temari, and he liked how you fought. In his own words, he thought you showed qualities of what it truly meant to be a ninja." 

She paused. Shikamaru knew she wasn't telling him this just to make him feel good, so there had to be something else. He waited.

"He wanted to buy you from the village and have you go work for him. After things settled down, I told him, 'I'm sorry, sir. But I can't sell you our ninja. That's not how we do it here. You can ask Shikamaru yourself, but he's not our property. We can't sell him.' He didn't really get what I was telling him, because he just said he would pay even more."

She paused again. Outside in the hall, Ino's heart was thudding loudly in her chest.

"I told him again, but he just offered even more. Shikamaru, he offered me enough money to pay for almost all of the repairs and rebuilding costs. I told him I would talk to you about it." She watched him carefully.

Shikamaru's expression had not changed. He said, in his normal drawl, "So basically, this guy wants to buy me. Like a slave."

The Hokage's eyebrows twitched together. "Well, if you want to put it that way…"

"And if I went, he would pay you enough money to fix the village, but I would be stuck with him until he released me. Or I died."

"Just think about it Shikamaru. By taking the Chunin exams, you opened yourself up for this. I'll admit, it doesn't happen often…. But think about the good it would do. A third of the villagers are sleeping in the evacuation halls because their homes were destroyed. You could fix that, just by going to work in the Village of Fog. You would be doing the same thing you'd be doing here, you'd still be a ninja." She watched Shikamaru, waiting for a reply, but he was staring at the floor, thinking. "I'll give you until tomorrow morning to decide." She turned and left the room.

Outside in the hall, Ino got down from the stack by the door and ran down the hall. The others called after her, but she didn't turn around. Her head was filled with the conversation she had just heard, her eyes were filled with tears, and her heart was filled with dread.

To be continued…..

Well, it's almost midnight and I just finished writing this first chapter. I am so excited about this story. Oh my gosh. Anyway, if you have any suggestions, please tell me. And even if you don't, review anyway. Please. I'm on spring break now, so I'm hoping to get as much of this written as possible before I go back to school. Good night, all.


	2. Chapter 2

Shikamaru: Lost in Fog

CHAPTER TWO

Shikamaru lay under his favorite tree, watching the clouds drift and float overhead. His mind, oddly, wasn't in chaos, thinking about whether he was going to go with the Fog Lord. He had already decided that. Instead, he was trying to enjoy probably his last chance to watch clouds in this spot, under this tree, on Leaf Village soil. He sighed. He heard two pairs of feet making their way towards him.

"Choji. Ino." They sat down on either side of him and Ino opened her mouth to start talking. "I know you two were listening in on that meeting." Shikamaru said abruptly, before Ino could begin.

She and Choji both stiffened and sweat dropped. "Were we that obvious?"

Shikamaru ignored the question and continued. "I know you came here to tell me what to do, but I already decided. So don't try and change my mind."

Ino gasped. "You mean you're choosing to go with that guy? To be sold!?" Choji choked his potato chip. Shikamaru covered his ear with a wince. The last three words had come out as a shriek.

"Yes, Ino. Just think about it logically for a minute. Tsunade said that a third of the villagers don't have homes right now. And incase you'd forgotten, we do have winter in Konoha. Where are all those people gonna go? And when it rains? They need houses as soon as they can get them. Not to mention the other things that need repairing like, say the _wall_?" He paused.

"Besides," he continued, "I'm just one chunin. What difference will that make to a village a big as ours? And another thing. I'm a Nara. I'm not the last remaining Uchiha, I'm not the heir to the Hyuga house. I'm nothing special. My clan isn't that important to the village."

He gave a bitter smile. "So you see, it really would do only good things for this village if I agree."

There was silence. "Not exactly." Ino shifted her position so that she lay next to him. On the other side, so did Choji. "I can name a bunch of people who wouldn't be happy. People who would rather be out in the snow or the rain, rather than know that you were miles away, alone, gone forever." She raised her hand to count on her fingers.

"Asuma sensei. Your mother. Your father."

"The Ramen man!" Choji added.

"Naruto, Sakura, Kurenai, Hinata, all of the Rookie Nine."

"Why all of them? Why would Shino and Kiba-," Shikamaru started.

"Because without you, we wouldn't be the Rookie Nine. We would only be eight!" Ino said forcefully, as she sat up again.

"The other people at the Ramen shop!"

"Lee, Neji, TenTen, Gai sensei, Kakashi-"

"And the Ramen man's delivery boy!"

"And more then just those!" Ino finished. "Why, I bet even Sasuke would miss you!"

At this, Shikamaru snorted. "Sasuke? I think I would rather if Sasuke didn't miss me."

"Argh! You're missing the point!" Ino yelled with little fires in her eyes.

"Heh, calm down, Ino. Remember we agreed you wouldn't start yelling." Ino closed her eyes with a huff and began to breath deeply.

"Anyway." Choji spoke to Shikamaru. "It's not how many people, or who they are. It's the fact that people need you here."

"Yeah, but they need the money more." Shikamaru said flatly. He didn't say anything else, and neither did the other two. Ino lay back down, as did Choji, on either side of their best friend. They watched the clouds change from the white of day, to the orange and pink of sunset, to the dark blue and black of nighttime. As they lay there, under a full moon, Ino said one more thing.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hn?"

"I forgot two people who would miss you. In fact, they would probably miss you the most."

"Hn?"

"Me and Choji."

Silence.

"We wouldn't be Ino-Shika-Cho with out you. Just, Ino-Cho."

More silence.

The three remained there, under the tree, until they each fell asleep. Ino was the first to wake, a little before dawn. She sat up, stretched, amazed that they had stayed there the whole night. Their parents were going to be furious.

She looked over at her friends, at Shikamaru. He looked so young, sleeping there. Too young to be sold and sent away from home. But she knew she wouldn't be able change his mind. No one would be able to change his mind. He would go tell the Hokage today, and then he would leave. Probably forever. This thought was so horrifying to Ino that she was dizzy for a moment. She would have to tell him. If she didn't, and she never saw him again, she would never forgive herself. Ever.

She sat there telling herself that as the sun began to rise. She shook Choji and Shikamaru awake and the three of them watched the sunrise together. Then they walked back towards the village, to go tell the Hokage Shikamaru's decision.

End of Chapter 2! To be continued in Chapter Three!

Wow, I woke up early this morning to keep writing this story. Anyway, I hope you all liked chapter 2. This chapter was a lot of Team 10 love (not the gross kind, the nice kind) but in the future, it's gonna be all ShikaIno. Hooray!

I put up chapter two now, because I couldn't wait. And chapter one was kind of short.

And thank you to all of you who reviewed. I get so happy when I read them! Please, keep reviewing.

Quick question. Are Ino's eyes blue or green?


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Shikamaru walked into the meeting room to find only the Hokage and Asuma. Asuma looked very distressed, and when he saw Shikamaru he looked even sadder. Shikamaru guessed the Asuma already knew what Shikamaru was going to say.

"Well, Nara, have you made up your mind?" The Hokage took up the same position as before, leaning against the desk, arms folded.

"Yes." _And I'm willing to bet you already know what I'm gonna say._ He thought, but didn't say out loud. He stood, arms folded, staring at her. She stared back.

Finally she said, "So I take it that you're going with him. Good." She nodded to Asuma, who went over to another door and opened it, bowing low as a man stepped through.

"Shikamaru Nara, this is Lord Mato." Shikamaru guess the man was in his late fifties. He was dressed in rich robes and was dripping in jewels. Shikamaru couldn't say anything about men wearing jewelry, (He himself wore earrings, but they were only small, metal hoops. Plenty of ninja wore them.), but he thought this guy was _way_ overstepping the acceptable line of guys wearing jewelry.

"So, you are the boy I am paying so much money for." He smiled as he said this, but the smile did not reach his cold, blue eyes.

_They're so different from Ino's…_Shikamaru thought, before giving himself a mental slap. He focused on the man in front of him.

"Yes, I suppose I am." Shikamaru saw the man's eyes looking him up and down, and suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "If you don't mind me asking, when are we leaving?"

The Lord looked at him and said, "We will be leaving first thing tomorrow. You need only to bring enough to last the journey, boy. When we reach my home, I will supply you with what I think you will need." He turned to Tsunade and they began to talk money.

"You can go, Shikamaru. I will see you off in the morning." Tsunade looked as Asuma. "You can go too, Asuma."

Shikamaru and Asuma left together and walked down the hall in silence. Finally, Asuma spoke.

"Why did you say yes, Shikamaru?" Of course, Asuma already knew why Shikamaru had agreed to this life-changing proposition. Shikamaru may seem lazy and uncaring on the outside, and maybe he was. But, deep down, he was a guy who would easily put anyone else's needs before his own. He wanted to help and do good. If this meant that he wouldn't be with his family and friends, in a place far away from home, he was willing to do it, because he would be helping so much of the Leaf Village.

Shikamaru knew that Asuma knew. "That's a stupid question."

They reached the outdoors. Asuma took out a cigarette and lit it. They continued walking on in silence. They walked past the Ninja Academy, past Team Ten's training ground, and eventually made it to the Ramen shop. Already sitting there were Choji and Ino. Asuma and Shikamaru sat down next to them, and the four of them sat there, eating, not talking. After a while, Shikamaru stood, pushing aside his hardly touched ramen.

"I've gotta go pack," He said, in a voice that was slightly hoarse. He put some money down on the counter and walked away.

As soon as he rounded the corner, Asuma put his head in his hands on the counter and sighed. Choji, looked at the bowl of ramen in front of him and pushed it away. Ino put her head down on the counter, sniffling. Then Choji started to cry, big fat tears rolling down his chubby cheeks. Ino sat up and said,

"Don't cry, Cho. It'll..I'll..Wah!" Then Ino started to cry, the tears coming hot and fast down her cheeks.

"Now, team, buck up. Shikamaru's a big boy. He'll be able to take care of himself." Asuma was trying to sound confidant and reassuring, but his face was miserable. "And besides, think of all the good he's doing for the village by-."

"NO!" Ino yelled. "I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH GOOD HE'S DOING! I DON'T CARE!" She slammed her fists on the counter. "Shikamaru doesn't belong in some village in who knows where, working for some rich lord who bought him like a slave!"

People around them were starting to stare at Ino, but she did not care. If anything, she got louder. "SHIKAMARU BELONGS HERE, WITH US! We can raise enough money without him leaving! Those people who lost their homes can come and sleep at my house and I'll sleep in the street for all I care! But why should Shikamaru suffer!? WHY!!!!"

She stopped, panting, her eyes flaming. Then her anger evaporated and she fell forward on the counter, back to crying. Choji was still crying, and now tears were starting to trickle down Asuma's ruddy cheeks. The three of them sat there at the Ramen shop, crying and crying.

Finally, after they all had stopped crying, Choji sat up. "I've got an idea."

Shikamaru was in his room, throwing random things haphazardly into a bag. Some green shirts, brown pants, more green, more brown…._Why do I have so much green and brown?_ He thought. _Oh. Because I'm in the leaf village. I wonder if they wear a lot of blue and grey in the fog village._ _If they did, it must not be a very happy place._

He got all of his spare kunai and shuriken and threw them in too. He looked around to see if he had missed anything. His eyes fell on the picture of Team Ten propped up on his bedside table. They all looked so happy. Asuma had one arm around Ino's shoulders, one around Shikamaru's, Choji in between the two. They all looked rumpled and dirty, having just come back from their first big mission.

Shikamaru felt his throat tighten. He suddenly realized that he didn't want to leave. He was happy here. He was surrounded by people who loved him. Well, liked him. Tolerated him. Anyway. He swiped angrily at his eyes. He took the picture and put it safely in his belt pouch.

Just as he was finishing packing, someone came into the room.

"Choji, what-."

"Are you done? Great. Let's go!" He grabbed Shikamaru in a friendly headlock and pulled him out of the room.

"Cho-Choji! You don't have to drag me. I can walk, you know." He broke Choji's hold on him and then walked beside Choji. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." They walked and walked and soon came to a small restaurant that was one of team Ten's favorite places to collapse after training.

"Cho," Shikamaru started. Choji opened the door and entered, followed by Shikamaru.

Inside were Ino, Asuma, Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Lee, TenTen, Gai, Hinata, Kurenai, the Ramen man and all the people from the Ramen restaurant, and some of Shikamaru's other friends from the village. Someone had hung a banner that read GOOD LUCK SHIKAMARU! WE'LL MISS YOU! There was a cake (with a slice already taken out…Choji) and a huge pot of ramen (compliments of the ramen man).

Shikamaru stood there, looking around. Choji yelled, "Everyone, he's here!"

Everyone turned to Shikamaru and soon he was swept into the crowd, receiving hugs, tears, laughs, claps on the back. Shikamaru didn't know what to think. He was happy that all of his friends had come together, for him, but with each face he saw he felt a pang, thinking, _Will I ever see him again?_ _Is this really it?_

He was sad for a while, then he started having a good time. _If this really is my last night with these people, I don't want their last memory of me to be of a sad…something. Even though it will be a lot of work, it's worth it. _

Ino had watched Shikamaru since first came in with Choji, pale and glum. But now he seemed to be a bit more relaxed and cheerful. Well, as cheerful as someone who was about to be practically sold into slavery could get!

She had watched the clock, and now she decided that she was going to tell him. She had to. She took a deep breath and calmed herself, remembering what she had rehearsed in her room earlier. _Shikamaru, I love you._ Simple and straight forward. Just how he liked it. If she had started to gush and try to compare her love to something else, he just would have gotten bored and started to daydream, thereby missing the whole point of her confession. She took another breath and walked toward him.

Shikamaru, standing with Choji and Naruto, saw Ino walking towards him, with the look on her face that almost always meant something troublesome for him. He shoved the thought aside as he realized that this was the chance he had been waiting for. While he, Ino, and Choji had been lying under the tree, he had realized something. Something that he needed to tell Ino before he left.

As he had thought about what he was going to say, he knew it would sound weird. But that didn't matter. It always sounded weird when you told someone you love them. He was just going to come out and say it. If he tried to do something poetic and/or sweet, he knew he would mess it up, and that would make Ino angry, and then she would yell at him and completely miss the point of his while confession. He took a deep breath, then walked up to meet Ino.

"I need to tell you something," they said in unison. They both looked surprised.

"You go first," Shikamaru said. "You're the girl."

"No. You go first." Ino snapped back. "It's your party."

"You."

"No, you."

"You!"

"I said NO! You first!"

"FINE!" They said in unison. "I l-," The door to the restaurant slammed open and six ninja entered the room and stood on either side of it as another man entered behind them. Everyone went silent.

The man who had entered, wearing blue-grey robes and an expression that said 'I'm better then all of you, I'm more important", looked around the room.

_He's gonna be troublesome…_Shikamaru thought.

At the same time, Ino thought _What a snob! I wonder who shoved a stick up his ass?_

"Where is Shikamaru Nara?" Even the man's voice was unappealing. It was a drawl, but unlike Shikamaru's drawl (which was just lazy), this man's was dripping with snobbyness and money. Shikamaru was about to raise his hand, but before he could, Asuma stepped forward.

"May I inquire as to who wants to know?" His posture was relaxed, but his voice was cold.

"I am Chinto, personal assistant to his mightiness Lord Mato of the Village of Fog, Shikamaru Nara's master." He looked away from Asuma, as though deeming him unworthy of his attention. "Shikamaru Nara, step forward!"

Ino gave Shikamaru a bewildered look. He met her eyes, then walked through the crowd to stand before Chinto. "Yes?" He said, standing with arms folded.

Chinto looked him up and down, gave a sniff of distaste, then said, "His Lordship requires you in his presence. Bring whatever you are taking with you, for you will be departing soon."

Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow. "He told me we weren't leaving until the morning. And as you can see, I'm a little busy."

"His Lordship-," Chinto began.

"Can wait until I've finished saying goodbye to my friends," Shikamaru finished, meeting Chinto's gaze evenly, his voice never changing. He turned his back to Chinto.

"Boy." The cold voice cut through the air like a whip. Shikamaru froze. Ino, who had moved up so that Shikamaru was only a few steps away, felt a chill go down her spine. "Boy, you were given an order. Follow it." Shikamaru turned around to see Lord Mato walking in, his eyes staring straight at him, his eyes as cold and hard as any he'd ever seen.

Shikamaru took a step toward him. "Excuse me, Lord Mato, but this morning you told me we were not leaving until tomorrow."

"Yes. I said that this morning. But now, I say we are leaving tonight." His eyes narrowed. "You are not starting off on good footing, Nara."

"Don't take this as rude, my lord," Shikamaru said. As soon as he opened his mouth, Ino and Choji, who had moved up beside her, knew that a sarcastic, and most likely rude, Shikamaru reply was on its way out. "But you were the one who wanted my services. I wasn't begging you to take me as your ninja." Asuma groaned.

Smack! The Lord's hand hit Shikamaru across the face with enough force to make him stagger. Several people in the crowd gasped and Ino took a step forward.

"Hey, you-," Quick as lightning, Choji's hand was over her mouth. The Lord ignored her.

"You will learn, Nara, that such impudence will not be tolerated in my house." He said the name Nara with such malice that Ino and several others were taken aback. He turned to one of his ninja. "Go and tell the wagons that we will be leaving within the hour." The man bowed and left. No one in the building was making a sound.

"Now."The Lord looked Shikamaru up and down, from his black ponytail, to the handprint still vivid on his cheek, to his green chunin vest, to his blue ninja shoes.

"Take off that headband. From this moment on, you are not a leaf ninja. You are a fog ninja."

"Bu-," Asuma opened his mouth to speak, but Kakashi stopped him. Shikamaru hesitated, then slowly began to untie the knot that fasted his leaf village headband around his upper arm. But apparently he wasn't going fast enough because, at a look from Mato, a fog ninja stepped forward and quickly cut it off with a kunai. It fell to the floor with a clunk. Shikamaru bent to get it, but the ninja who had cut it off grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

"Leave it." Mato met Shikamaru's eyes for a second, and in that second, Shikamaru saw a hate so fierce that it shocked him. Ino, watching, for the first time saw Shikamaru look away from someone's gaze. Her Shikamaru normally met that gaze head on with his dark, unreadable eyes. But now, as she saw Shikamaru's eyes, she saw fear. And that scared her.

"Now let us be off." The Lord turned around and left. The man holding Shikamaru's arm did not let go and pulled him rather forcefully after Mato. The other ninja and Chito left and slammed the doors behind them.

No one moved or spoke. Then Ino stepped forward and slowly picked up the headband. _He's gone. Shikamaru's gone. And I didn't tell him._

To be continued…

Well, that was Chapter three. I hope you all liked it. I was debating about whether to change the ramen shop scene because I thought it was a little too much, but I decided to keep it in. Shikamaru is leaving. His team should be upset. Anyway, please review! Either good or bad, I don't care. Thank you again to all those who have reviewed so far! You guys are still my heroes!


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Naruto, nor did I in Chapters 2 and 3. I forgot to say that. sorry

Chapter Four

Ino couldn't sleep that night. All she could think about was Shikamaru. The scene where Shikamaru was slapped played over and over again in her head. She held his headband tightly the entire night.

After Shikamaru had left, the party had ended. Everyone left, either muttering to each other or in stunned silence. Well, except Naruto, who was loudly complaining about what a jerk Shikamaru's new master was and how he could have agreed to work for such an asshole. This would have made Ino clobber Naruto, but she was still in a shocked state. She and Choji, before leaving, went to Asuma.

"Asuma sensei?" They had started, but before they could finish, he started talking.

"I know. You want to know why that lord hit Shikamaru? Why he treated him like a slave instead of like a ninja?" Ino and Choji nodded. "Well, so do I. I'm going to talk to the Hokage. You two go on home. We'll meet as usual tomorrow morning, and we can talk more then." He nodded to them, then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Choji and Ino looked at each other. Neither wanted to go home yet, so they took a long time cleaning up the remains of the party. After they finished, they each went home. Neither talked very much. They did not say much when they met in the morning either. Both had dark circles under their eyes from lack of sleep. Ino had Shikamaru's headband tucked into her kunai holster.

They waited a few minutes, then Asuma sensei appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Sensei! What did the Hokage say?" Ino burst out even before the smoke cleared away.

Asuma sighed. "She said that whatever the Lord did, it was out of her hands. It was none of her business and she couldn't do anything."

Ino and Choji's mouths fell open. "What!?" Ino yelled.

"The Lord paid for Shikamaru. Shikamaru pretty much belongs to him. There's nothing we can do," he finished in a defeated voice. Choji's shoulders slumped, but Ino started to pace angrily. Asuma and Choji watched her. Then she stopped.

"I have an idea." There was a determined look in her eyes, like the one she had had at the party. "We will go and find the caravan. When we find them, I'll use my mind transfer jutsu on the Lord and have him go back to Tsunade and give Shikamaru back, saying that he made a mistake, or he didn't like Shikamaru, or something like that. It's perfect!" She looked pleased with herself.

"One problem. What happens when you let the Lord go and he sees that Shikamaru's not there anymore and the others tell him that he gave Shikamaru back? The Lord won't remember giving him back and he'll suspect foul play." Asuma shot down Ino's plan, not meanly, just matter-of-factly. Ino's head fell down, but popped up again almost immediately.

"Fine. Then we'll follow the caravan and I'll take over Shikamaru's body! I'll make him, I don't know, make it look like he was attacked, or fell off a cliff. Anything to make it look like he died. But he won't have really died. He'll be with us. Then the Lord can't suspect anything, because it would have been an accident!" Little fires had appeared in Ino's eyes again.

Asuma slowly shook his head. "It's too risky, Ino. So many things could go wrong. The last thing Konoha needs is to be on foul terms with another village. We can't afford to go to war." Asuma put a hand to his forehead and a resolved tone came into his already tired and defeated voice. "Ino, Shikamaru's gone. We can't get him back. And I don't want you thinking about ways to bring him back. Now, let's work on defensive moves today."

But Ino could not stop thinking about it. She would not accept that Shikamaru was gone forever. They would get him back. And if no one would help her, she would do it herself.

…………………………………………………………….

They ended around two and Asuma left immediately after, as Ino and Choji went to the Ramen Shop, Ino thinking furiously. As they sat at their usual stools and saw the empty stool next to Ino, both of their hearts ached. But this simply made Ino more determined.

"Choji, we're going. You and me."

"Where?" he said. For once, he wasn't digging into his ramen. He just sat there, looking at it.

"To go get Shika, obviously. Asuma sensei may have given up, but I haven't. Shika belongs here, and we're gonna bring him back. So eat up! We have to catch up with that caravan. They've had almost a whole day to get ahead of us!"

At this, she started shoveling down her ramen with a speed that could have rivaled a ravenous Choji, who then followed suit. They each ran home and quietly gathered a small bag filled with supplies. Ino stuck the kunai she hadn't been able to fit in her holster, due to Shika's headband, in her bag. They met up at the gate that led west and together set out, fueled by ramen and their determination to bring back the missing member of their team.

That was Chapter four. It was kind of short, but I felt that it had to end there. We'll be getting back to Shikamaru soon, but something else has to happen first. I'm not gonna tell what because that would spoil the story. But I promise to get it up as soon as possible!

I've also come up with an idea for a new story, but I'm holding off on actually starting to write it until I finish with this one. But it looks like it will be a good one!


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Naruto…sigh…

Chapter 5

Choji and Ino traveled all day, jumping in the trees that ran alongside the road. They stopped in a small roadside inn to ask whether a large caravan with a Fog Lord had passed through. The innkeeper confirmed this, and Ino and Choji continued on with renewed strength and determination. The sun was starting to set about an hour after they left the inn. Watching the clouds change from white to orange, pink, and red made her think of their last night with Shikamaru. He seemed so resigned to his fate.

_Curse his laziness! He could have said no!_ But she knew as well as Asuma that Shikamaru was a selfless person, deep down. She sighed. _But why does he have to be so darn noble! Why couldn't he be more like…more like ME!?_

"Oof!" She bumped into Choji, who had stopped, his head tilted to one side.

"Choji, what-," she started, but he raised a finger to his lips. She shut up and listened. Then she heard it: the sound of wagons, horses, and people. The caravan. They jumped to the ground. Keeping themselves low and hidden by the bushes, they made their way closer to the road. They saw flags with the Fog village symbol on them, and, on a horse near the front of the caravan, they saw Chinto.

"Yes!" Ino whispered. "Now, look for Shikamaru." After a few seconds, they saw him.

"There." Ino pointed. He was walking beside an open litter in which Lord Mato was sitting. The Lord and he were chatting, and, oddly, they were laughing and smiling. Like old pals. Or father and son. Or something like that.

Choji's eyebrows went together, as did Ino's. "That's bizarre. At the restaurant…" Choji didn't finish the sentence, but Ino already knew what he meant. This was very out of character, for both Shikamaru and the Lord, based on what she had seen of the man.

Ino shook her head. _It doesn't matter. We came to get Shikamaru and that's what we're gonna do._ She whispered to Choji, "Okay. As soon as I get a good shot, I'm gonna take over Shikamaru. Get ready to catch my body. Then, you follow along and when I see a chance, I'll fake Shikamaru's death and then bring him back to you. It may take a while, but keep following. Got it?"

Choji nodded. "Alright then. Let's go." They ran ahead a little bit, then Ino got into position, waiting for Shikamaru to pass them. They waited a few seconds, then, "Mind Transfer Jutsu!" she whispered. Choji caught her body, then jumped back into the trees.

He waited, jumping along in the trees, listening intently to the sounds of the caravan. But then, only a minute later, Ino's body stirred in his arms. He looked down and saw her opening her eyes. He let go and she stood up. She grabbed his arms and looked him in the eye.

"Choji, something's wrong. Really wrong."

"Why, what-."

"That wasn't Shikamaru."

"What?!"

"The person I took over. It looked like Shikamaru, but on the inside it wasn't him. It was someone else."

Choji was stunned, but Ino continued. "And you know what else? The Lord isn't really the Lord. He's also just some person on the inside. They were using some kind of jutsu, maybe a transformation jutsu, to look like them"

Choji shook his head slowly, not believing what he was hearing. "But, what does that mean? Why would they imitate the Lord and Shika?"

"That's not important right now." Ino said.

Choji was confused for a second, then it dawned on him. "You're right! The real question isn't why…."

"If Shikamaru's not here, then where is he?"

………………………………………………………………..

Far ahead of the caravan, in Lord Mato's dungeon, Shikamaru Nara, the real Shikamaru, was sitting on the stone floor, his wrists chained to the wall, formulating a plan on how to escape from the insane, revenge-seeking nutcase who called himself his master.

To be continued…

Well, that's chapter five. I probably could have attached it to four, but whatever. Geez, writing this story is making me love Shikamaru even more. Anyway.

Thanks to all those who reviewed! If you haven't reviewed yet, don't be shy! I hope that my random posting schedule isn't annoying anyone. I'm just posting them as I finish them. I'm not sure how long this story is gonna be, so I'm not sure how many chapters are left.

Now, I'll go start chapter six! Farewell!


	6. Chapter 6

I still do not own Naruto…double sigh

Shikamaru: Lost in Fog

Chapter 6

A lot had happened to Shikamaru since he was taken from his goodbye party. The Lord's ninja had dragged Shikamaru all the way back to where the Lord had been staying, even though Shikamaru repeatedly said, 'I can walk y myself, you know'

When they arrived, they had not joined the caravan, as Shikamaru had expected. Instead, the Lord, the dragging ninja, and Shikamaru had entered a small room, where two other ninja where already waiting.

"You," Mato had said to one. "Get a good look at the boy. Don't mess up on any details." The ninja had proceeded to look over Shikamaru, top to bottom, front and back, side to side, which, you could imagine, made Shikamaru a little uncomfortable.

_Okay….What's he doing?_ And then it hit him. _Oh. He's gonna make us a decoy. Took me long enough to realize that one. I wonder what he and I are really going to do?_

After a minute, the man stopped looking at him. His fingers made the hand signs and then two Shikamarus were staring at each other, both with crossed arms and spiky ponytails. The other ninja transformed into the Lord. Then the two bowed to the Lord and exited. Shikamaru guessed that they had a plan already figured out. They were in the room for another minute when Shikamaru decided to ask another question.

"So, Lord Mato, don't mind me asking, but what are we doing in this closet?" Shikamaru knew he was opening himself up for another slap, but he didn't really care.

The Lord did not strike him, however. He simply started laughing, and not a good laugh either. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two metal bands. "You will see soon enough, boy. Now, hold out your wrists."

" Uh…I think I'd rather not," he drawled, giving the Lord a look that said, _Did you really think I was gonna say yes?_

This time, the ninja behind him did hit him. His fist collided with the side of Shikamaru's head and the force would have sent him sprawling to the floor, but after he hit Shikamaru, the ninja grabbed Shikamaru's wrists and held them out. Shikamaru fought back, his instincts telling him that the cuffs would be nothing but troublesome. But, the ninja holding his wrists was at least twice as big as Shikamaru and easily held him. As he did, Mato fastened each cuff securely.

As soon as they clicked shut, Shikamaru felt something in his stomach area. Then, to his horror, he felt his chakra start to drain away, all flowing towards his wrists. The cuffs had started to glow, a strange, blue color. The color of chakra. _These things are draining my chakra, so that I can't use any jutsu to fight back. Hm. This could make an escape a little more…challenging_. His face didn't show any emotion, however, and he stared back at the lord, a smirk on his face.

"Just a quick question." _Although I already know the answer._ "How am I supposed to work as your ninja if I can't use my chakra?"

The Lord looked at Shikamaru, then a smirk appeared on his face as well. "Why, my so called 'Nara genius', haven't you figured it out already?" But Mato knew that Shikamaru had already figured it out.

"As you well know, I did not buy you to be my ninja." He answered. "I bought you because you happen to be the heir to the Nara name. The only one who will carry that name and the abilities of that family on to the next generation. Or at least, you were going to."

_That sounds a little foreboding,_ Shikamaru thought.

"And it just so happens," the Lord continued, "that my name-."

"Isn't really Mato," Shikamaru said for him.

The man looked at him, then laughed again, a quiet, slightly insane laugh. "So, you've figured that out too, have you? Well, then, you're not a Nara for nothing." He stopped laughing and his face returned to the serious and cold expression of before. "Yes, my name is not Mato. You've solved what my real name is, I bet."

Shikamaru nodded. "Otam?"

"Yes, Nara boy. Yes. My real name is Ibu Otam."

Then Shikamaru said, "Just a small suggestion: the next time you use a fake name, don't have it be your real name spelled _backwards_."

Shikamaru braced himself for another blow, but nothing happened. Otam started to cackle. Then he put his fingers together in a hand sign. A tingling feeling started at Shikamaru's wrists and then spread rapidly up his arms. At first it was tingling, then all of a sudden his arms erupted in pain. He cried out and folded his arms tightly over his chest. His arms were on fire; they were being stabbed, ripped off. He couldn't take it. He fell to his knees. Then, all of a sudden, the pain stopped. He sat there, panting. Whatever he had already figured out about Otam and his plan, this was not one of them.

"Now, Boy, are you going to continue with your impudent remarks?"

"I don't know," Shikamaru said, looking up at Otam with a deadpan expression. "It depends on whether-."

Then his arms exploded in pain again. It lasted longer this time, and it was more intense; but Shikamaru refused to make any noise this time. He bit his lip and tried thinking about the floor, his shoes, anything to keep his mind off the pain, but nothing worked. He leaned forward, wishing it would stop, feeling as though one more second would finish him off. Finally it ceased. He stayed there, head touching the cool floor, his breath coming in gasps.

"Now, Vide," Otam said, addressing the dragger. "Go tell the caravan to set out." Vice bowed and left. Through his pain fogged brain, Shikamaru though, something smells odd in here. Shikamaru knew that he should recognize that smell, but it didn't register. Otam was silent for a minute, then said, "Get up, boy."

Shikamaru did. He rose slowly to his feet, pulling his head up last. As he did, a damp cloth covered his mouth and nose. _Of course. Knock out potion. Why didn't I realize that?, _was all he managed to think before his world was thrown into darkness.

When Shikamaru had awakened, he had found himself in this dungeon, chained to the wall. He guessed that he was in the Lord's castle in the Village of Fog, and that Otam had used a double transport jutsu to get them both there. Double transport jutsu were easiest if one of the people was unconscious. Which was the reasoning behind him being knocked out.

Shikamaru had examined his cell, had found it just like a normal dungeon cell, and his thoughts had turned to Otam. He had heard the name Otam a lot when he was growing up, in stories his grandfather used to tell him. When Shikamaru's grandfather had been a genin, he and a boy named Bringe Otam had been on the same squad. They had been good friends. The best of friends, to be more precise. After only one year as genin, their team took the chunin exam. They got all the way up to the third part, all three of them. But then, when they announced the pairs for the first round, they found themselves facing against each other.

Seiji Nara was sad at first, but then got over it. He told his other friend that if they were both going to do as well as they had hoped, then they would eventually face each other anyway. But Bringe didn't agree. He was very angry, but he was determined to beat Seiji. He distanced himself and devoted himself completely to training. Seiji, on the other hand, did not. It seemed that laziness, as well as the shadow possession jutsu, was a trait of the Nara family.

The day of the third exam arrived, and Seiji and Bringe's match was first. It was an intense battle, both were giving it their all. But in the end, Bringe's training paid off, for he won, but just barely. Bringe also won his next battle, but lost his third. When the time came to announce the chunin, however, Bringe did not make the cut, and Seiji was one of two who did.

Bringe was furious. He was so furious, that he went and attacked Seiji's girlfriend (and the third member of their team, who Bringe liked, but who didn't like him). Seiji stopped him, and the two started to fight. Seiji was still pretty fresh, seeing as he had only fought the one battle, but Bringe was powered by his anger. Eventually, Seiji was winning. Bringe made a run for it and disappeared from the leaf village.

He was gone for a year, then returned. Seiji didn't tell anyone that Bringe had attacked his girlfriend, so everyone had just thought he was missing, and was glad to see him. He was put back on a genin squad, determined that he would become a chunin. But, he was put on Seiji's squad. Which did not sit well with him. But, he kept his anger in, and trained for the exams. But, when the time came for the chunin nominations, Seiji did not put him forward, saying that he was not ready. He did not changed at all since the last time he took the exams. Bringe had a fit. He went on a rampage, destroying part of the city. Then, he disappeared, never to be seen in the leaf village again.

This Otam, Shikamaru guessed, was Bringe's son. Apparently, the anger against Shikamaru's family had been passed down to Ibu, who was now determined to destroy the Nara family by, Shikamaru assumed, killing him. He was after all, the last leaf on his family tree. Seiji had married his girlfriend, and they had had Shikamaru's father, who married Shikamaru's mother, and they had had Shikamaru. That was it. Although, theoretically, Shikamaru's father was still able to give Shikamaru siblings, he had complained too much about his one child, Shikamaru knew he would remain an only child forever.

So, that was the reasoning behind Shikamaru's current predicament. Now, Shikamaru needed to figure a way out, because he definitely did not want to sit around down here, doing nothing, while that insane nut case thought up ways to take out sixty years worth of revenge on him.

…………………………………….

Well, that was Chapter six. I'm sorry about the small delay, but my mother said that I needed to take a break from my computer. Anyway, this chapter was kind of hard to write, but now you know why Mato, I mean Otam, bought Shikamaru in the first place.

I will try and do chapter 7 as soon as I can, but it may be tough tomorrow, seeing as I actually have plans! Wow!

Anyway, please, keep reviewing! Thanks again to all those who did on the other chapters. It says on my stats that this story has had over two hundred hits, so there should logically be around two hundred reviews. Ha!


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own Naruto

YESSSSSS!!!!!!I'm SO SORRY that this took so long to update. There was a flippin' error with something that didn't let me download any documents. I've had this chapter ready for days, but I couldn't put it up! I'm so sorry. But, this gave me an opportunity to write more. Sigh. But I have been very distraught because of this error.

Well. This chapter has been hard to write. I hate plot development!!!! Anyway, after this chapter things will pick up again. Just, bear with me. Anyway, without further ado, here is Chapter 7!

……………………………………………………..

Chapter 7

Ino and Choji were jumping in the trees beside the road at an easy pace, planning their next move.

"Well, I'm almost positive that the fake Shikamaru and Lord were put there to fool anyone following them into thinking that Shikamaru was fine." Ino said to Choji.

"But I bet they didn't think someone would look into their minds and find out their secret." Choji was munching on a bag of chips of which, Ino and Shikamaru had noticed over the years, he had a seemingly unending supply.

They had been following the caravan at this pace for about an hour and the light was now beginning to fail. Soon they would be marching in darkness. But the caravan showed no sign of stopping.

"I'm almost one hundred percent positive that the Lord took Shikamaru to his castle. Our best bet is to follow the caravan there."

"But what if we don't make it to the castle in time?"

Ino stared at Choji. "What?"

"What if it takes us days, or weeks to get to there? The Lord could have done all sorts of things to Shikamaru by then," Choji said, very matter-of-factly. "We may be too late."

Ino thought about this for approximately point five seconds before slamming her fist into her hand. "You're right. We need to get Shika back as soon as possible. So, let's go!" She sped up her pace, Choji following suit. They sped along for thirty seconds before Choji spoke again.

"Just one question. Do we know where the Village of Fog is?"

Ino froze mid-leap. They stopped on a branch and turned to each other, Ino's face frozen with open mouth and bulging eyes, Choji still munching on chips.

"Fine, then. I'll go take over someone's body and figure it out. Then we'll race ahead and rescue Shikamaru. Come on! We've already left him in that Log's (Lord + Fog Log) clutches too long!"

……………………..

Shikamaru sat in his dungeon, planning. He couldn't do his signature hand sign, however, due to his arms being chained to the wall. But he thought, none-the-less. Well, there were plenty of shadows he could manipulate, but the stupid cuffs prevented him from using chakra. _Well, that gets rid of at least half of my ideas,_ he thought. After several more minutes of thinking, he decided on one. It wasn't one of his best, but it would have to work.

"Well, here it goes," he muttered. "This is so troublesome." He took a deep breath, then started to yell. The guard (not ninja) stationed outside his door heard and yelled back through the little slot, made especially for this purpose.

"Shut up, you!"

But Shikamaru kept yelling, saying, "Ah! There's something else in here! There's something in here! AH! What is it!? What is it what is it what is it?!!!

"SHUT UP!"

"AHHHH! Oh, no, it's a spider! Ah! Someone come and squash it! I _hate_ spiders! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!!!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The guard, fed up with hearing Shikamaru yell, opened the door to the cell angrily. "Where is it?" he demanded, grabbing the front of Shikamaru's shirt.

"Over there." Shikamaru said, pointing with a shaking finger. As the guard turned his head, Shikamaru reached up and pinched a nerve in his neck/shoulder area. The guard collapsed.

Shikamaru sighed. "Well, that was a lot of work." He reached down and searched the guard for the keys. He found them, then unlocked his cuffed hands. As they fell off, Shikamaru felt his chakra rush back into his body. He straightened, rubbing his wrists, which were red and scraped. He put them in the small chamber pot in the corner of the cell, then reached down and began slapping the guard on the face.

"Will you wake up already?" Eventually, the guard stirred. As soon as he did, Shikamaru put his fingers together and performed the shadow possession jutsu. The man stood and looked at Shikamaru.

"Y-you tricked me!"

"Yes, I did. Now, you're gonna help-."

"HELP!!!!!! PRISONER ESCAPING!"

Shikamaru sighed. _He couldn't just be quiet._ He reached up and put a hand over his mouth. The guard did the same, stifling his own shouts.

"Now. Do you want me to leave you down here, chained to the wall with the cuffs that are currently in there," he pointed to the chamber pot, "and left down here until who knows when, or will you be quiet, do as I tell you, and then claim to have been under my complete control and not have had any power over your actions if we get caught?"

Shikamaru said this through his hand, but he thought the guard got the message. When the guard hesitated in his answer, Shikamaru held out his hand, which suddenly burned blue with chakra. The guard was convinced, his face blanching instantly. Shikamaru and the guard removed their hands.

"Now. Let's get going." They left the cell, Shikamaru closing the door behind him. Then he made a quick clone of the guard and left it standing there. They walked on, Shikamaru keeping the guard several feet in front of him as a look out, which was very helpful, especially for when they rounded corners. They passed no one as they walked, for which Shikamaru was grateful; he could not be sure whether the guard's fear of Shikamaru's power would overcome the sight of a comrade who could help him.

Unfortunately for Shikamaru, the guard's fear was beaten down. As he turned a corner, after walking down a long, straight hall, with Shikamaru a few steps behind, his face lit up and he yelled, "Hey! The prisoner escaped! He's over here! Hurry!"

Shikamaru cursed, broke his connection to the soldier, and ran for it. He heard running feet behind him. As the guards turned into the hall, they saw Shikamaru just turning one of the two corners at the far end.

They smirked, all knowing that that turn was a dead end. They ran easily down, then turned to find the short corridor completely devoid of any escaping prisoners. They stopped in their tracks, baffled.

"Where did he go?" "What the-." "How did he just disappear?"

None of them thought to look up. If they had, then they would have seen a prisoner, crawling along the ceiling, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. He would have made it too, had not one guard felt the urge to turn around and look at the ceiling.

"There he is!" The others turned. The Shikamaru on the ceiling stood and ran, running down the hall that led back towards the cell. The guards all followed at a sprint. Then the real Shikamaru stepped out of the shadows and quickly jogged down the other hall. As he ran, he thought, _Well, Otam, you should seriously consider hiring smarter guards. Or, at least ninja guards, because these ones_-."

He stopped short. He couldn't move his body. He was frozen in place, and behind him, someone was laughing quietly, insanely, and triumphantly.

"I've beaten you again, Little Nara." Otam stepped out of nowhere. "Yes, I've beaten you at your own game."

He walked slowly towards Shikamaru. Shikamaru could have kicked himself for falling into such a trap. _A paralysis jutsu! How could I be so stupid!_

"I'm surprised at you, boy." He sighed. "Oh, well. Next time you try and escape, maybe you will entertain me a little better."

Shikamaru would have made a tart reply, but he couldn't move his mouth.

"And I see you managed to get rid of your cuffs. Well. We'll just have to try something different, then." He snapped his fingers and a ninja appeared next to him in a puff of smoke. "Bring this boy to the tower." The ninja nodded and took hold of Shikamaru's arm. He then performed a double transportation jutsu as Otam performed a single.

The three of them reappeared in a completely new corridor, facing a huge door.

"Well, boy. Let's see if you can escape from this." Otam opened the door and the other ninja threw Shikamaru in. The paralysis jutsu was still in place so Shikamaru could not break his fall. The door closed behind him with a powerful thud. Shikamaru lay on the floor, stuck in a running pose, thinking hard about what Otam had said, adding it to everything else he knew about the man, and reevaluating it. _What is he trying to do?_ _What is it that he wants?_

He didn't know how long he lay there, but in the end, his thinking left him with one answer. _I need to get out of here._

To be continued…

…………………………………………………………………………

I thought of Ino's nickname for Otam a while ago, and I'm so happy I finally put it in! Anyway, as I said before, the last few chapters have been for plot development (which I hate!), but from here on, I'll try and make it a little more interesting.

I don't know whether Shikamaru actually knows any other jutsu…but oh well. In this story, he does. And I know he doesn't have, like, the explosive shadow clone stuff like Naruto does, but he has a basic knowledge. And I may include a couple other ones. I'm not sure. Anyway.

Thanks again to all those who reviewed! And I hope I didn't intimidate anyone with my reviewing comment on the last chapter. Sorry! So long, my readers!


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own Naruto…sniff…sob….

Chapter 8

After obtaining the knowledge of the location of the Log's castle, Ino and Choji set out. They traveled all day and slept in trees at night. They went like this for a week, neither one complaining, both driven by their desire to save their friend. At night, they just crawled into a tree and slept like logs. But, on the seventh night, Ino had a dream.

_She was kneeling behind a bush in a dark forest, which she immediately recognized as the Forest of Death. On her one side was Choji, shaking and eating. She turned and saw Shikamaru on her other side._

_"Shikamaru!" she cried, "You're here!". But he didn't react at all. He was staring at something on the other side of the bush, his face expressionless. She turned around and looked. As she did, she heard a voice that sent chills down her spine, followed by a cry that struck her heart. _

_Lord Mato was standing in a clearing, forming a series of hand signs and talking in that chilling voice. Just getting up after being blown over was another Shikamaru. He was a mess, covered with bruises, cuts, and dirt. On the ground behind him, unconscious, were a boy and a girl. They both, from what she could see of them, bore a slight resemblance to Shikamaru. Her eyes went back to him. As he stood, Shikamaru formed his own hand sign and sent his shadow after Mato. But Mato laughed at him and snapped his fingers. _

_Tsunade and Chinto jumped from the trees and started to fight Shikamaru. He stood no chance. _

_"No!" Ino gasped, and tried to stand. She needed to help him! But her legs would not move. Try as she might, she could not stand. On one side, Choji had curled into a ball and was crying. On her other side, Shikamaru turned to her. _

_"Ino, are you going to let them do that? Are you just gonna sit back and let them hurt me?" _

_"No, Shi-." _

_"I can understand you watching while it happened to them. But to me?" As he spoke, he gestured behind them. Ino turned and saw Sakura, Asuma, Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Gai, Kiba, Shino, and Kurenai in a pile, all looking like the Shikamaru in the clearing did. _

_"Or them!" He pointed across the clearing to another pile. This one contained a dozen Shikamarus, all beat up, all unconscious. _

_"NO! STOP!" Ino cried, frustrated tears streaming down her face. "I want to help! But I can't! Stop!" She struggled, but nothing changed. Soon, the Shikamaru on the field collapsed. Then everyone, conscious and unconscious, disappeared with a puff, except for her and him. The setting changed so that they were now in a room. There were windows all over and the walls glittered with the light of chakra. Shikamaru lay in the middle, alone on a dark stone floor. _

_Her legs suddenly unfroze and she ran to her comrade. "Shikamaru! Shikamaru, wake up!" She shook him, begging him to wake, but he didn't. She stopped and hugged him to her, tears pouring down her face. _

_"Shikamaru! I'm sorry, so sorry. I couldn't help you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She sat there, cradling his head in her arms, crying and apologizing. _

_"Shikamaru, I love you. I love you, and I didn't tell you before you left. I'm sorry." Then, the body in her arms began to fade away. Ino screamed. Soon, the only thing left in her arms was his chunin vest. Then the floor began to crumble, and she was falling, falling, falling…_

Ino awoke with a start to find real tears on her cheeks. She sat up and wiped them away, but more replaced them. She gave up and hugged her knees to her chest, crying and crying. "Shikamaru…"

……………………………………………………..

In a cold tower room of Lord Otam's castle, a figure lay huddled in the middle of the floor. _So. Is his new game? To try and freeze me? If it is, he's winning._ For, indeed, the room was freezing. The figure kept himself close together to keep his body heat, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle. He had been in Otam's castle for a week, he thought. And for almost the entire time, Otam had been playing these games with him. He would put Shikamaru in bizarre, and often painful, places or situations, and then sit back and wait for Shikamaru to find a way out of them. From the time he had escaped the basement prison cell, he had gone through so many different trials and tribulations that he didn't even remember them all. His brain had been working almost constantly, figuring out strategies and plans. And even though Shikamaru was good at thinking, this was a little much.

Now, Shikamaru thought, was the end. He had injured his leg somehow during the last test, and he had miscellaneous other injuries collected over the week. His chakra supply was empty, or at least pretty close. His brain was on empty. And he was freezing. He was done.

_Well, no one can say I didn't try_, he thought. _Even though no one will ever know. They'll all just think that I'm a happy little slave, who was so content that he didn't even try to go back home. That he didn't miss his friends. His village. His cloud-watching tree. His team. Choji and Asuma. Ino._

Shikamaru normally wasn't one to wallow in self-pity, but since he was giving up, why not give it a shot. _I haven't seen a cloud in a week. I haven't seen the sky in a week. I haven't really eaten anything in a week. I haven't napped in a week. I haven't really done anything except think, use my chakra, and run all week. Sheesh. And on top of all that, I didn't tell Ino. And now I'll never get the chance._

His eyelids felt heavy and no matter how hard he tried (which wasn't really that hard) he soon drifted off into a restless sleep.

_It was probably a little before dawn. Shikamaru was standing on a branch. Not a special branch, just a normal tree branch. But it wasn't from a tree in the leaf village. He was somewhere else. He looked around and, to his surprise, he saw a blond ponytail and the end of a white scarf a little farther up the trunk. He jumped up and saw Ino and Choji, fast asleep. Or, at least he thought so at first. Ino, it seemed, was not asleep. Her shoulders were shaking and occasionally she sniffed. Shikamaru walked closer and realized she was crying. _

'_What's she crying about?' he thought. _

_Then, he heard her mumble, "Shikamaru…why didn't I tell you?" _

_Shikamaru froze. 'What didn't she tell me?' he thought. But she didn't say. She put her head up, wiping her eyes. Then she froze, looking right at him. _

"_Sh-Shika?" She whispered, as though not believing herself. But then she shook her head. "Great. Now I'm seeing things." She balled her hands into fists, eyes shut. "Okay, Ino. Get a grip. You're gonna see Shika soon. Don't lose it now." She stood up. _

"_Choji, let's go. We don't want to leave Shikamaru in that Log's clutches any longer then he was to be." _

_Choji grumbled, but got up, rubbing his face. "Alright. Let's go." _

_Shikamaru was shocked. 'Choji actually doing something, before breakfast?'_

_Ino and Choji put on their packs and then pulled out a map. "How far away do you think we are now?"_

_"Well," said Choji, measuring something with his fingers. "I'd say about a day. Maybe a day and a half." _

_"Yes!" Ino punched the air with her fist. "Then what are we waiting for? Hold on Shikamaru, we'll be there soon!" And with that they jumped away. _

Back in the tower, Shikamaru woke, and as he did he was filled with a warm, happy feeling. For that had not been just a dream. Shikamaru was sure it was really happening. _Ino and Choji are coming to get me._ _They want me home._ This thought gave Shikamaru something to cling to, to hold on to. Something clicked inside him. _I just need to hold on a little longer. That's it. Just one more day, maybe two. And then I'll be free._

If Shikamaru had been his normal self, he would have remembered that in order to rescue him, Ino and Choji would have to somehow get into the castle, find him, and then either convince Otam to release him, or fight Otam themselves. But right now, Shikamaru thought only about the good things. And that was enough.

To be continued…

That was chapter eight. In know Ino's dream sequence was kind of bizarre, but it was a dream. Anything can happen in dreams. That's why they're so much fun to write. I'm sorry if Shikamaru seemed a little out of character, but he did just go through a week of hell. Or at least, that's what he was supposed to go through. I hope you all got that. (sweatdrop). Today is my last day of spring break. I'm gonna crank out as much story as possible! Yeah!

Thanks again to all those who reviewed! They make me feel all warm inside when I get them!


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own Naruto

Chapter 9

Ino and Choji were crouched in the bushes outside of the castle, which happened to be a very large castle. A very large castle with a very large stone wall. And guards everywhere. And a huge drawbridge, which was currently in the upright and locked position. They stared at it for a little while, then Choji spoke.

"So, got any ideas as to how we're gonna get in?" He whispered.

"I'm thinking!" Ino snapped. She turned back to staring, thinking. _It looks damn near impenetrable. How are Choji and me supposed to get in? I bet a whole armed force of Anbu black ops couldn't get in, let alone a genin team who are currently missing their strategist! Grr! _

After about a minute, Choji spoke again. "Well…?"

"HOW ABOUT _YOU_ TRY THINKING!?" Ino whisper/yelled. Choji shrugged.

"What if we used our chakra feet to climb over the wall?" he suggested.

"No." Ino said flatly. "We could be seen too easily."

"Hmmm. What if we dressed up as delivery people and-."

"No."

"Oh! I know. What if-."

"NO! Choji, we are not going to dig under the castle!" He opened his mouth again. "And, No, we are not going to go get some thinking food!" She let out a frustrated huff. "Sorry, Choji. Let's just keep thinking."

So he started to think. But, unfortunately for Ino, he was the kind of person to think out loud, so he brought Ino along on his train of thought.

"Well," he muttered to himself, "We could always try a frontal attack. No, that probably wouldn't work, seeing as there are only two of us. Hmmm. Munch munch munch. I wish I'd brought more sour cream and onion chips. This is my last bag. I-No, can't think about food. I need to concentrate on thinking of a way to get Shikamaru out. Hmmm."

Ino was trying to think, but her bubbling anger got in the way. She breathed deep, trying to focus on a plan rather then the consistent muttering next to her, mixed in with the crunching of chips.

"Oh, how about we build a big, wooden animal! We crawl inside it, and then leave it outside the gate, like a present. Then, after they bring it inside, we pop out, grab Shikamaru, and run for it! It's perfect! It's- Ow!"

Ino restrained herself from hitting him again, but just barely. She took another breath, then said, in a forced calm, "Choji. Let's try using Shikamaru's hand sign. The one he uses when he thinks."

She and Choji closed their eyes and put their hands together, forming a circle. _Okay. Let's see if this really works, Shikamaru. _They sat there, concentrating. For a minute, nothing happened. Then, at the same time, they were hit with the lightning bolt of genius.

"I got it!" Ino said triumphantly at the same time Choji said, "Alright!" Somehow, they knew that they were thinking the same thing, and immediately sprung into action.

"Do you see any guards by themselves?"

"No, but I bet we'll find one in town."

"Okay then. Let's go."

On their journey to the castle, they had gone around the actual Fog village, wanting to keep a low profile. Now, however, they journeyed to its center.

It was different from the Leaf Village in many ways. One, there was no summer sunshine. A blanket of thin, grey fog covered everything. The village itself was small, comprising only of about one hundred buildings. They were low and close to the ground and made of a dull, blue-grey stone. As Ino and Choji walked, they saw only a few people, all of whom were dressed in blue and grey clothes. The people ignored them, however, keeping steadily at whatever task they were doing. There were no bright colors anywhere and Ino and Choji felt uncomfortably conspicuous.

"Right now, I wish my hair wasn't blond. And that I wasn't wearing bright purple," Ino whispered to Choji, her eyes alert as she scanned the area around them.

"Yeah. But let's not focus on them. Let's just get a soldier and get going." They both quickened their pace.

They soon arrived at the village square. Even here there were not a lot of people. Ino and Choji looked around, then spotted what they were looking for. Standing in a corner of the square, leaning lazily against a wall, was a man clad in the dress of the Log's guard.

"Bingo. I'll see you in a second, Choji." Ino aimed her hands at the soldier and muttered, "Mind transfer jutsu." Choji caught her body and then walked back into a small alley. A minute later, the soldier entered behind him.

"Okay, Choji. I'll take that," the soldier said in Ino's voice. She grabbed her body and threw it over her shoulder. "Let's go."

"Wait. Shouldn't we buy some more supplies before we go? We may have people chasing us when we leave, and we don't have enough supplies to last us a trip back."

Ino/soldier thought about this, then nodded. "I'll go. I'm not that obvious. Wait here." She put her body back down, then walked back into the square.

She headed for a booth with food, but she was intercepted by a flock of girls.

"Ooh, it's Kenran!" "Hi, Kenran!" "Kenran, can you please help me?"

Ino stopped dead. _Oh boy. Okay. No big deal. Just act like a guy._ She cleared her throat. "Hello, ladies." She flashed them a smile.

"Ahhh!" They all shrieked. Ino winced.

"Oh, Kenran, can you-."

"Sorry, girls, but I have to go buy some supplies. I'm going on a long and dangerous mission. Actually, I might not even make it back alive." Ino gave a dramatic sigh.

All of the girls were looking at him, eyes huge. Ino pulled herself together. "But don't worry about me. Just, find yourselves good husbands. Have lots of children."

The girls all nodded enthusiastically. One was actually crying.

Ino thought _I have to get out of here…I'm just digging a bigger trap to fall into._ Then one of the girls threw herself at Ino's feet.

"Please! Don't leave us! I love you!" The rest of the girls followed suit. Ino began to feel very uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, girls, but that's not possible. I have to go. Goodbye!" Ino pushed her way through the group of now hysterical girls and walked to the food booth. _Wow. That was a pain. There must be a shortage of hot guys around here, if this guy is the big thing. _

She quickly bought food, then went back to Choji to find him eating another bag of chips.

"Okay, Choji, let's go." She gave him the bag, then picked up her body again. _Wow. This is really weird. _

They went quickly back towards the castle. It was late afternoon. Ino guessed they had a few hours left of sunlight. When they were a little ways away, they stopped.

"Are you ready, Choji?" Ino asked. Her heart was already pounding. They had a plan, but whether it would work or not was completely up in the air.

"Yep." He took a deep breath. Pulling out a length of rope, Ino tied them loosely around Choji's wrists. Then, still carrying her body over her shoulder, she took the end of the rope and started to lead Choji toward the gate.

"Halt!" A voice called from the top of the wall. "Who-oh. Its just Kenran."

Ino raised her hand in salute. "Can you open up?"

"Yeah, hold on." The voice called back. A minute later, a deep rumbling was heard from behind the wall and the drawbridge began to open. When it was completely down, Ino walked in, pulling Choji along behind her.

"Thanks," Ino said to the men pulling the gate. _Wait, soldiers don't say thanks! What am I doing?_

"Who're the kids, Kenran?"

"Oh, these brats? I, uh, found 'em trying to get in. I think they came to rescue that other leaf brat. Anyway, they tried to get in by climbing the wall with chakra feet. Can you imagine?" She gave a forced laugh. "This one came pretty quietly," she said, gesturing to Choji, "but the girl was a fighter. Anyway. I'll be seein' ya."

Ino walked quickly away, Choji grumbling and complaining as they went, muttering something about being a fighter too, and that he wasn't quiet…Through an archway, another courtyard, then the stables Ino went. Then she found another soldier.

"Hey!" Ino called to him. He turned, and Ino recognized him as the one from the goodbye party who had cut off Shikamaru's headband. She felt rage bubble up inside her, but she kept it down. _Not now._ She told herself. _Soon, but not now._

"What do you want?" This soldier (actually a ninja) was apparently a step up on the ladder then Kenran.

"Oh, uh, sorry, sir, but, I was told to put these two brats with the other leaf kid, but I don't know where he is. Could you tell me?"

The ninja looked at her carefully. Ino began to sweat. There was a moment where Ino thought he wasn't going to answer, or yell for the guards, but finally, "Yes. He's in the west tower," he said slowly, pointing to it.

"Thank you, sir." Ino nodded, then walked in the direction he had pointed. Ino felt him watching her retreating back. _Boy, that was close._ Her heart was pounding and her hands were trembling.

"Ino, men never say thank you! What were you thinking?" Choji whispered to her.

"Shut up! We almost made it. Don't blow cover now!" She hissed back. They walked in a general west-like direction, thankfully not bumping into anyone. They reached a set of spiral stairs and Ino hoped these would lead them to the tower. After they had climbed three hundred steps, with no sign of ending,, Ino figured they were.

When they emerged from the staircase, Ino and Choji found themselves at the beginning of a long hallway. At the end was a single guard, blocking the only door.

Ino took a deep breath and walked. The guard didn't move as they approached, and soon Ino realized that he was sleeping. _Lazy bum. But, that just makes it easier for us. _ They crept up to him, being careful not to make a sound. After putting her body down, Ino reached out and quickly pinched a nerve in his neck. The guard went limp.

"Yes!" she whispered. Ino helped Choji untie the rope, then they quickly bound and gagged the guard. Ino saw there was a large lock on the door. "We need a key!"

"Here it is!" Choji said after a second of searching. He held up a large, iron key and put it in the door. It took both of them to turn it, and when they did they heard a click, and the lock fell off. Then Ino realized something.

"I'm still the guard!" She put her hands together. "Release!" Kenran crumpled, and a second later Ino stood up, back in her own body. "Let's tie him up." They tied him to the other guard, then stood before the door.

"Ready?" Choji asked.

"Yes. Let's get him and bring him home." They both took a deep breath, then pushed the door open.

"Oh no! Shika!"

To be continued…

…………………………………………………………………….

Well, that was chapter nine. One of my reviewers asked for the chapters to be longer, so I tried to acquiesce her request. Anyway, I'm sorry this took a little longer to get up. I just got back to school, and I had to update Babes. Choji's brainstorm may have been a little out of character, and I'm sorry! But I just felt like putting that in.

I got the idea for the wooden animal from Troy, obviously, and from Monty Python and the Holy Grail! Quick pole: If Choji and Ino had built a wooden animal thing, what do you think it would it have been? Just stick it in with your review. And speaking of reviews…

Thank you so much to all of you who sent one! But for some reason, there weren't many reviews for the last two chapters. PLEASE, try and review! As I said before, even if it's only one word, I will be eternally grateful.


	10. Chapter 10

I don't own Naruto

Chapter 10

It was her dream. But this time it was real, and because of that a hundred times worse. Ino and Choji entered a room, a circular, windowed room, lit not by the windows, but from the blue glow of chakra in the walls. The air in the room was so cold that goose bumps immediately sprang up on their arms. When she breathed it in, it seared Ino's lungs. The floor was a shiny, black stone of some kind, and in the middle lay Shikamaru.

"Oh, Shika," Ino moaned. They ran over and she fell to her knees. Just like in her dream, she shook him, trying to wake him up. "Shika! Shikamaru wake up!" He was freezing to the touch, and his face was very pale. Ino felt her throat start to tighten. "Shikamaru, wake up! Please!"

Choji was staring at Shikamaru, his face shocked. Whatever he had been expecting, this had not been it.

Ino shook him harder, her eyes bright and her voice cracking. "Wake up! Wake up!" She refused to believe they were too late. _He can't be dead. He just can't. Not after Choji and me came to get him! Not after all we've gone through! And-and I didn't tell him! _"Open your eyes, Shikamaru! Please!"

Choji watched her for a minute. Finally. "Ino, I don't think that's working," he said quietly.

Ino stopped shaking their teammate. She stared for a second, then her face took on a different look. Her eyebrows clicked together, her eyes narrowed, and her stubborn chin came out. "Shikamaru Nara, you will wake up this instant! Wake up! This is no time to be sleeping! Do you hear me, you lazy bum? I said-."

"Troublesome..." Ino stopped short. Choji's mouth fell open.

"Sh-Shika?" Ino's heart flipped over. She stared at his face, hardly believing her ears.

"Troublesome woman." It was barely audible, but it was definitely him. Ino and Choji's faces broke into smiles.

"Open you're eyes, you lazy bum, and see your rescue party," Ino said, fighting to keep her voice under control.

Slowly, Shikamaru opened his eyes, Choji helping him to sit up. He looked at each one, making sure he wasn't dreaming again. Then Ino couldn't resist. She let out a little scream, threw herself at him, and hugged him as hard as she could. She felt him shivering, and felt how skinny he was, and it made her heart ache, but at the same time she was bursting with joy.

"Ah! Wh-." But he didn't complain. He actually would have hugged her back, had he had the strength. But he didn't. He smiled weakly at Choji, who grinned back. Shikamaru thought he felt a bit of wetness on his shoulder, but he didn't mention it.

"Took you long enough to get here," Shikamaru said, his voice raspy.

"Yeah, well, we were hoping you would manage to get out yourself, and all we'd have to do was escort you home." Choji grinned broadly, offering Shikamaru a water bottle. He took it gratefully.

"Do you have anything to eat, Choji?" Shikamaru asked. The last time Otam had fed him was probably two days ago and he was ravenous.

"Yeah, here." He dug in his bag, then handed Shikamaru a hunk of bread and some dried fruit.

Ino didn't want to let Shikamaru go. She had missed him so much, and now that she had him back, all she wanted was to keep him safe. But, she knew they had things to do. She straightened and looked at Shikamaru.

"You look awful! And you're so skinny! What has that Log been doing to you?" In fact, now that Ino looked at him carefully, she saw how dreadful Shikamaru's appearance really was. He had cuts and bruises on his face, one of his fingers was at an odd angle to the rest of his hand, making Ino think it was broken, and his clothing was ripped and torn. His face was thinner and he looked very tired. He really did look like the Shikamaru in her dream, except now he was conscious.

Shikamaru cocked one eyebrow. "Log?"

Ino glared at him. "Yes. Log. Now what happened?"

"I'll tell you after we get out of here." He finished off his bread, then said, "Choji, do you have any soldier pills? My chakra's pretty much gone and I have a feeling we'll need to use it before we leave."

Choji handed him one. "So, do you have a plan?"

Shikamaru said, "I know what we have to do, if that's what you mean. But as to how we're gonna do it, no, I have no idea. But anyway, we need to get going." He made to stand up, but then stopped. "Oh, yeah. I can't really use my left ankle at all, so I'll need help."

Ino and Choji stood, then pulled Shikamaru to his feet, Choji putting Shikamaru's arm over his shoulders.

"Alright, let's go, I'm freezing!" But they had not even taken one step before…

_I can't move!_ Ino tried to say, but her mouth, and her whole body, was frozen in place. Shikamaru and Choji were also stationary. Ino thought Shikamaru looked mad, for some reason.

_I can't believe I fell for this again!_ He raged at himself. If he had been able to, he would have kicked himself, but, again, he was couldn't. Then an evil cackle filled the room. _Oh man._

A figure stepped through the still open doorway.

_Otam_, thought Shikamaru.

_Mato!_ thought Choji.

_The Log!_ thought Ino.

The evil Fog Lord walked up to the three of them, the cackling dieing away. "Well, Nara boy. This was a move I did not expect. You've got me this time." He laughed again, a harsh sound that bounced off the walls and hit them twice as hard.

_Ew, _thought Ino.

"But I think a rescue attempt is cheating, boy. You're not playing the game right." He shook his head, then snapped his fingers. Shikamaru's body relaxed.

"You never actually specified the rules, Otam. And besides, if there were rules about unfair play, you would have already broken them." His face hardened. "Anyway, the game's over. I'm leaving."

Otam did not laugh at this. He stared at Shikamaru, who stared right back, Ino noticed, unlike at the restaurant. _So. He's gotten used to the Log. That's reassuring._

"You will never leave this castle. Ever. If you haven't already figured it out, I plan on killing you, Shikamaru Nara, as slowly and painfully as I can."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Shikamaru said dryly. But Otam's statement struck Ino and Choji hard.

_Kill him? But why? _

_Kill him? What? And what does he mean 'Otam'? His name is Mato, isn't it? _ Ino wanted desperately to talk, but couldn't.

Otam was silent for a minute. Then he said, "I've just thought of another way to hurt you, boy." A truly evil smile spread his face.

Shikamaru had never seen this smile before, and it made him nervous. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

His eyes moved from Shikamaru, to Choji, and finally landed on Ino. Shikamaru followed his gaze, then his already pale face went (if possible) even paler. But before he could do anything, Otam said, "Your friend is pretty, boy. I wonder if my soldiers will think so too?" He snapped his fingers.

"Ino!" Shikamaru made to grab her, but too late. Just as her body was able to move, the floor beneath her feet vanished. And just like in her dream, Ino was falling.

To be continued…

…………………………………………………………………………….

Wow, I'm sorry it took me so long to update, and I'm sorry this is kind of short, and I'm sorry I'm leaving another cliffhanger! I've been busy, and haven't gotten the chance to write. Please forgive any grammar mistakes because I'm only proofing this once before I put it up. It's eleven fifteen at night, and I want to go to bed.

Thanks to all those who reviewed! I'm running out of wonderful things to say about you…Oh! You guys are pretty flippin' sweet! (I don't own that phrase or the movie it came from) Please keep reviewing, and new reviewers are always welcome. You don't have to review every chapter, but one or two would be nice.


	11. Chapter 11

I don't own Naruto!

Chapter 11

"Ino!"

Ino was falling. Shikamaru had made to grab her, but had just missed. He fell to his knees by the hole as her blond hair disappeared down into the blackness.

"Ahhhhhhh…!" He made to jump in after her, but was grabbed by the back of his collar and heaved to his feet. The hole closed up as quickly as it had appeared.

"Are you worried about your friend, boy? Do you care about her?" Otam hissed, pulling the boy up so that his face inches from Shikamaru's.

"Yes, I do." Shikamaru kept his voice even, even though inside he was a storm. He was raging mad at Otam and he was in a panic about Ino. _I've gotta save her, before, before-._ He couldn't bear think of it.

"Actually, if you really want to know, Otam, I love her." Shikamaru smiled, emboldened by finally saying it.

Otam shook him like a rag doll, keeping hold of his shirt. "Love? You _love_ her? Well, I can tell you something, boy." He pulled Shikamaru closer. Shika's feet were now dangling in the air as Otam's putrid breath washed over him. "Love is nothing! You may think love lasts, that it means something, but you're _wrong_! _Love is nothing!_"

He laughed horribly. "You claim you _love_ that girl, but does she love you? Does her heart jump when she sees you? Does she dream about you, night after night? Is she worrying about you right now, even as she herself is falling into trouble? Does she care more for you than for herself? Does she? _Does she?!_"

Shikamaru remembered the night of his going away party. _What was it that she said? Or started to say? The scene popped into his head. She was standing so close to him, her face flushed, her blue eyes determined. _

'_Shikamaru, I l-.' _

The scene faded. He hadn't really thought about it before_. I only thought about how I had missed my chance, and about what I was saying. What was it she gonna say? Wh-no. No way she was gonna say what I was gonna say. Could she? _He thought about his dream, about her crying, regretting not telling him something. _Could she really feel the same way I do? _Suddenly, he felt really stupid, really happy, and really, really angry all at the same time.

"Yes, Otam, she does." He smirked at Otam triumphantly.

"You-." He raised his hand to slap him, and froze. He couldn't move. "What the-." Then comprehension dawned on his face. His eyes widened in horror as they looked at Shikamaru. "But, you were out of chakra! I made sure of it!"

Shikamaru said, "Yes. I was." His shadow started to dance and writhe on the floor.

Otam said nothing, staring at the shadow. Shikamaru's face hardened and his eyes became steely.

Shikamaru thought for a second. _What was the release sign...Oh, yeah. _Shikamaru, and Otam, made a few quick hand signs, which ended the paralysis jutsu. (Shikamaru had seen Otam do it several times over his captivity) Choji's body relaxed.

Now that Choji was okay, all his concern was for Ino. He needed to find her. But before that, he had to take care of Otam. "Choji, hand Otam a kunai."

Choji did, watching Shikamaru carefully. He had never seen his friend this mad before. _But then, Ino's never been in danger like this before. _Choji had figured out long ago his friends' feelings for each other, and it didn't bother him at all.

Shikamaru was no longer smirking. He held his empty right hand up to his throat. Otam, who was holding Choji's kunai in his right hand, does the same. Otam began to sweat.

"Now." Shikamaru's voice was like ice. "Where is Ino?"

Otam laughed. Shikamaru pressed his hand closer to his neck. Otam stopped laughing. "She's with the soldiers by now. Down, down, down." He laughed again, hard, loud, and insanely. Shikamaru pressed the kunai closer. His hand was shaking. He needed to get to Ino as fast as possible, and this guy was not helping. But, _Do I really want to kill him?_

"Where is she?" He said even colder. When Otam did nothing but laugh, he said to Choji, "Do you have any rope?" _I'll get Ino first. Then we'll come back for him._

"Yeah." Choji went into the hall and took some rope from the other two guards he had tied up. When he came back in, Shikamaru said, "Tie his hands together." Choji obeyed. When he finished, Shikamaru released his jutsu.

Otam stopped laughing. "Given up, boy? You're not going to kill me?" He smirked. "You haven't got the guts, just like your grandfather. He could have killed my father, but he didn't do it because he was too weak. You-."

Shikamaru punched Otam as hard as he could in the face. His head hit the wall and he fell to the floor, unconscious. Choji stared, mouth hanging slightly open. Shikamaru shook his fist, then said, "Let's lock him in here and go find Ino."

The two tied Otam securely, searched him for weapons quickly, then locked him in the room. Choji tucked the key in his jacket. Shikamaru was now in a kind of silent rage. He didn't say anything, but an aura of anger and power could be felt around him.

"So, where do we look?" Choji asked as they went down the tower stairs as fast as they could, Choji supporting Shikamaru.

"Otam said down, so let's just go down."

…………………………………………………….

Ino was falling through blackness. She tumbled through nothingness, then landed with a thud on a bed of some sort. She lay there for a second, rubbing her backside, and then two voices spoke.

"Whoa! Looks like the Lord sent us a present!"

"Wow, she's cute. Should we get the others?"

"Uh, I guess we should."

Ino turned around and saw two male soldiers, one sitting at a table, the other going to the door and yelling, "Hey! HEY! There's a girl in here!" Then at least ten more guys came rushing into the room, looking excited. Some of them whistled when they saw her. Ino's face turned Hinata-red and her stomach turned to lead.

"Where did she come from?" One asked the man at the table.

"I don't know. She just sort of fell out of the ceiling. But she sure is pretty."

Ino gulped. _Oh, shit._

Some of the guys were moving closer, saying 'enticing' things to her.

"Come here, girlie!" "Don't ya want to give me a hug? Or a kiss?" "No, kiss me!"

Terror started rising in her, but then it stopped, to be replaced by anger. _Wait, what am I doing? Am I the one who's supposed to be in trouble? NO! I came here to rescue Shikamaru. I am not the damsel in distress here! And I am NOT about to let these…perverts touch me!_ She stood up, taking out two kunai. She would show them she was not their plaything!

The soldiers stopped, looking at the kunai. Then they burst out laughing.

"She's gonna fight us!" "Ha! Oh, that's rich!" "Can she even _use_ one?"

Then one of them lunged forward, arms outstretched and lips puckered. She recognized him as the one who she and Choji had asked for directions. _Payback time, jerkface._

"CHA!" Ino kicked him in the face with all the strength she could muster. He was sent flying back into the wall. He slammed into it and then slid to the floor. "STILL WANNA KISS ME NOW?!"

The other soldiers looked from their unconscious teammate to the now raging blond girl in complete shock. Then, as one, they pulled out their weapons and charged.

……………………………………………………………

Choji and Shikamaru were now running through the castle, looking for any sign of Ino. Shikamaru fought to keep a cool head and to keep his panic under control. _Ino's a ninja. She can take care of herself. She's even beaten me before! Well, she's come close…uh-oh. _He ran even faster.

They rounded a corner and saw two guards walking away from them. The boys froze. Then another guard came up to his comrades and said excitedly, "Hey, guess what? Otam sent a girl to the common room!"

Shikamaru stiffened, his heart pounding.

"Really?" The younger soldier said.

"Yeah! Everyone's going down there. Let's go, so we get a go at her!" The three ran away. 

"Come on," Shikamaru said. "Let's follow them."

………………………………………………………………

"Aw, girlie, come on! Just give up! You'll never win!"

Ino was panting heavily and she was starting to tire. But, she had to keep fighting. More and more soldiers were coming in, some joining in the fight to tame her, others just watching. At least fifteen of them were injured, four unconscious, but Ino didn't seem to be getting anywhere. A hand grabbed her butt.

"AHHHH!" She whipped around and punched him in the nose. The soldier let out a howl and fell backward. Then a hand grabbed her ponytail and another grabbed her arm.

"Gotcha now, me pretty!" Another hand grabbed her other arm, then her leg, then she was hoisted into the air. "Ha! Victory!" A roar went up from the soldiers and they all rushed forward.

"NO! Let go of me!" Ino struggled wildly. Her foot collided with something hard, but the grips on her other limbs didn't allow much movement. Someone grabbed her butt again, and another hand moved to her chest. She screamed.

……………………………………………………..

Shikamaru and Choji were running behind the three soldiers when they heard a scream they both knew too well. _Damn it!_ thought Shikamaru. Then the soldiers opened up a door and ran inside.

……………………………………………………

Ino was being carried along the top of the crowd, everyone reaching up to lay a hand on her. The door burst open and three more soldiers ran in. Ino was heading towards a particularly hairy soldier when…everyone inside the room froze. No one moved a muscle. Then Ino saw someone framed in the door. A certain someone in a leaf village chunin vest, blue ninja sandals, and with spiky black ponytail. A certain someone who she thought about all the time, dreamed about, spent most of her days with. A certain someone who she loved with all her heart. A certain boy named Shikamaru Nara.

Shikamaru stood in the doorway. His shadow had exploded into the room, empowered by his anger, grabbing every shadow available. In all the strange shadows, there was one that was familiar to him. One that belonged to the person in his life who he loved with all his heart. He saw her in the hands of a vast crowd of dirty soldiers, and he was filled with, if possible, more anger. He searched in the mass of shadows and found hers. He released it. He moved his hands so that they were stiff at his sides. All the soldiers did so too.

"Shika! Choji!" Ino landed lightly on the ground and ran to them. Without thinking, she threw herself at Shikamaru. This time, the genius hugged her back. Ino let out a small sigh. This was where she was supposed to be. Right here, safe, in Shikamaru's arms. Shikamaru too felt like this was how things were supposed to be. He held Ino close, wanting to protect her.

Unfortunately for the two, their hug was short lived. Ino, closing her eyes while hugging, opened them just in time to see a kunai flying towards them. Before she had even opened her mouth to scream, it had buried itself in a green chunin vest, and a shocked gasp was heard from the one who was wearing it.

…………………………………………….

Wow, another cliffhanger! I think I'm growing fond of them. Maybe a little too fond. Anyway, that was chapter eleven. I hope you all liked it. If you didn't, don't be afraid to tell me so. Any writing suggestions are welcome. You can suggest things for the story if you want, but I'm probably just going to keep my ideas.

Thank you everyone who reviewed, you're all amazing! And also, I would just like to thank the anonymous Mr. Miyagi for reviewing. I would have thanked you earlier, but I can't reply to anonymous reviews! I try and reply to all my reviews, but if there's anyone who reviewed and I haven't thanked personally, I am very sorry!

I'll get the next chapter up soon! So keep on the look out!

By the way, Mr. Miyagi, did you pick your name for the guy in the Karate Kid?


	12. Chapter 12

I don't own Naruto

Chapter 12

_I knew I should have finished him when I had the chance. How troublesome. _Shikamaru winced as three more kunai joined the first. The only reason he was still on his feet was the blond girl he had been hugging just a second ago.

Ino had watched the first kunai fly at them and then bury itself in her comrade's back. She had heard Shikamaru gasp. She smelled the sharp tang of blood as three more knives embedded themselves in his vest. Her vision went dizzy when she saw his blood flow over her arm.

Choji saw Ino sway, saw Shikamaru get hit. His first thought was in concern for his friend, but then a more urgent thought replaced it: the soldiers. Choji turned, but somehow Shikamaru had managed to maintain his shadow possession jutsu. For now, they needn't worry about them. Then he turned his attention to the man who had thrown the kunai.

"Otam!"

The name seemed to shake Ino out of her shock. Her head jerked up to see the older man, standing in the doorway, pulling out more kunai. Her worry was cast aside by a wave of hatred.

"You!" She pointed a shaking finger at him. "What's your problem?! Why don't you just leave Shikamaru alone! He's never done anything to you!"

The old man's cold eyes met hers. "As I said before, girl, I plan on killing that boy. He took something away from me, and I am here for revenge. Now, hand him to me."

Ino laughed a cold laugh. "And you seriously think I'm gonna say _yes_?!" The body in her arms moved to stand up. He turned around to face Otam, leaning heavily on Ino. Choji moved up beside them, supporting his friend on the other side. Shikamaru's forehead was beaded with sweat from the combined effort of standing, and keeping up his jutsu.

Otam looked at them with his hate-filled eyes. "It will not phase me in the slightest if there are three corpses left instead of one. Hand him over, or else you two will share in his fate."

Shikamaru opened his mouth, but Ino spoke first. "Then you'll have to kill all of us, because we are not leaving him here." Choji nodded. Both moved into a fighting position, sitting Shikamaru on the ground between them. "Don't move," Ino said imperiously.

Shikamaru didn't even try to argue. He pulled out the kunai, saying, "Watch out for his paralysis jutsu." He then focused his attention on the soldiers, and maintaining his possession.

Choji and Ino ran at Otam, who smirked and fell into a defensive stance. The two jumped at him, kunais raised, but then he disappeared. They landed, looking around.

"Where did he go?" The Log appeared behind Ino, his own kunai raised. Quick as lightning, Choji punched him in the face. Otam stepped back, tripping over Ino's leg. He fell. Choji dove on top of him while Ino readied her hands.

"Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Otam froze as Ino's body slumped to the ground. But then Otam disappeared with another poof. A clone.

"Oh boy." Choji jumped to his feet, standing in front of Ino, his eyes searching frantically for Otam. Ino would be out of action for at least five minutes, meaning it was just him. _Uh-oh. _A puff of smoke and the Lord appeared right in front of Choji. Choji received a blow that sent him flying back. He slid on the ground, but then leapt to his feet, spurred to do better by the needs of his friends. His eyes sought Otam, and found him flying through the air, Shikamaru smirking smugly, and then wincing in pain.

"Nice kick!" Choji yelled. He ran over to greet Otam upon his arrival with the earth. Another kick sent the man soaring into a stone wall. Choji grabbed Ino's body and brought her over to Shikamaru. He then put his hands together.

"Cha!" He yelled, using Ino's favorite battle cry. His body grew to the size of a large boulder. He turned so he was facing Otam, and then rolled toward him, gaining speed.

Otam sat up, rubbing his head. He saw the giant shinobi crashing towards him and had just enough time to throw himself out of the way. Choji slammed into the wall, then turned and rolled at the Log again. Little bits of dust and debris fell. It seemed that this castle was not the most sturdy of structures.

Shikamaru saw the wall shake, he watched as his friend chased Otam around, slamming into more walls. He felt he was reaching the end of his chakra supply. He would have to let the soldiers go soon. But if he did, they would just attack the three. The shadow master stood shakily, his head spinning wildly from blood loss. He walked over to the door of the soldier's lounge (the fight had moved to the courtyard outside the room). He saw everyone inside (still attached to him), folded his arms, and spoke to them.

"Hey!" They looked at him, some eyes angry, others frightened. "This castle is not gonna be standing for much longer." As he said this, Choji hit a wall and the whole place shook. Eyes looked at the ceiling above them, wide with terror. "Now. If I were you fellows, I would leave as soon as possible. Before I was stuck in here forever." He saw some eyes look unsure. "And besides," he continued. "Otam isn't gonna be in power for much longer."

He looked at them quickly, taking in their eyes. _None of them will stay. These are just normal foot soldiers. They're not even ninja. _

"Now, I'm gonna let you go, and you're all gonna run for it. Got it?" If they could have, they all would have nodded. "Good. Now scram." He released his jutsu and stepped to the side. All of them high tailed it as fast as they could out the door and out of the castle. Choji nearly flattening ten of them did not make them any slower.

As the last one rounded a corner, Shikamaru sat heavily against a wall, feeling completely spent. It was all he could do not to fall asleep right there. But he knew that if he fell asleep, with this amount of blood lost, he probably would not wake up again. So he stayed awake, watching the fight going on before him.

Choji slammed into one wall and just managed to catch Otam's leg. Otam let out a cry of pain as his right leg was smashed against the stone wall. Unfortunately, Choji ran out of chakra. He deflated and lay at the bottom of the wall, dizzy beyond belief. Otam stood up, fighting past the pain in his leg. The whole castle shook from Choji's last blow and small debris was now falling at a constant rate.

"Well, boy, it looks like it's just the two of us again." Otam limped forward, his eyes focused on Shikamaru and burning with a new fire. "Yes, just the two of us. And now I am going to finish what my father started." He pulled out a long, sickly looking sword. Shikamaru thought desperately, but his mind was blank. He sat there, unable to move, bracing himself.

"Today, I avenge my father, right here, right now, by killing the grandson of the girl who refused him, and his best friend who betrayed him and forced him into a life of sorrow and loneliness." He raised the sword. Shikamaru tried to summon just a little chakra, but he had nothing. He looked one last time at Choji and Ino, both unmoving, brought to this dreadful place to try and rescue him. Their journey had been in vain. This was the end.

"Good bye, boy!" The blade came soaring down, aimed straight for Shikamaru's neck. Shikamaru closed his eyes. Choji looked up to see the sword swinging straight for his best friend. As his eyes widened, a pair of very blue ones opened.

"M-."

"Shikamaru!"

"-u!"

With the sword two inches from his prey's neck, Otam froze. The crazed expression on his face disappeared. His body relaxed and the sword fell to the ground with a clatter. Ino's body fell forward again. Then Otam straightened.

"That was close," Otam said in female voice that Shikamaru knew too well. He opened his eyes too see Otam standing over him, hand on hip, looking very pleased with himself. Shikamaru gave Ino/Otam a tired smile as Choji laughed with relief and stumbled over towards them.

"Wow, Ino, I-." He stopped. The whole castle was moaning and a huge chunk of ceiling fell to land with a crash on the floor. The three stared at it. It had landed about a foot from where Ino's body lay. If it had landed just a little bit to the left, Ino would be with them no more.

"We've gotta go!" Choji ran over and grabbed Ino's body as Ino/Otam pulled Shikamaru to his feet. He swayed and would have fallen had not she held him up.

"Wait, what do we do about Otam?" They looked at each other.

Then Shikamaru said, "We leave him here." He leaned over and picked up a rock. "Ino, get out."

She did and seconds later her body straightened. But before Shikamaru could hit Otam with the rock…

"Move!" Choji pulled Ino and Shikamaru out of the way as another monstrous piece of stone fell from the ceiling. It landed, with a sickening crunch, on the body of Otam, Lord of the Fog Village. And he was no more.

The three stared at the rock for a second, but then had to run, as the whole castle came down around them. They ran, Ino and Choji supporting Shikamaru between them. When they came to the gate, they found it wide open, the drawbridge already down, thanks to the soldiers. They hurried across and then ran into the woods. They collapsed under a tree, all three too exhausted to move.

……………………………………………………….

Hooray! I didn't end with a cliffhanger. I'm sorry it took me more then a week to update, but school is getting crazy. And, for the first time, I had writer's block. AH! I had been thinking about how Otam would die since I started writing this story, and now it's finally done. I didn't want to have Shikamaru kill him. That would be awful. And I didn't want Ino or Choji too either. I actually figured this out as I was writing. I find that all I need to do to conquer writer's block is to push on through, and eventually I'll come up with something. Anyway.

Thanks again to all those who reviewed! There's probably only one more chapter left. I'm not sure. Wow, this is so sad! Waaaah! I feel like I just started this. Anyway, please review, and please tell me how the fight scene was. Was it clear? I really hope so. Tell me!!!!

Another thing. I'm sorry I didn't label the chapters with more interesting names. I'll do that on my next story! 


	13. Chapter 13

I don't own Naruto…I'VE SAID IT FOR THIRTEEN CHAPTERS ALREADY!

Chapter 13

Ino woke up slowly, sore all over. She sat up and stretched, looking around. _Uh. Why am I so sore?_ She thought, then she remembered what had happened in the last day. _Holy cow!_ Pictures of Kenran, the Fog village, the castle, the chakra room, the guards, Otam/Mato/Log, formed in her head as she watched a fast motion movie of the entire rescue. The last scene was of her and Choji running out of the crumbling castle, supporting, _Shikamaru! _She turned around quickly, giving herself a mental kick in the butt. _How did I not think of him first!?_

She panicked, then relaxed when she saw him next to her, sleeping soundly. Choji was on his other side, also sleeping. The whole scene seemed oddly familiar…

Ino sat there, watching Shikamaru, still not sure if she believed he was actually there. He looked awful. Whatever the Log had been doing to him this past week it had not been anything good. _But we'll fix him up. And when we're home, someone else can finish. _The thought of being home brought a smile to her lips. _What's everyone gonna say when we get back? What will Asuma-sensei say?_ But none of that really mattered. Otam was dead. Even if Tsunade wanted to send Shikamaru back, there was no place to send him to. He was safe. Ino would make sure of that. No one would ever take him from her again. Ever. Not that he can't take care of himself. But Ino would always be by his side. No matter what.

Ino was suddenly overcome with the desire to hug the sleeping chunin before her. She wanted to really convince herself that he was all right. But how would he react to that? Probably say she was a troublesome woman and grumble some other incomprehensible things about the female race. But how did Shikamaru really feel? Beneath his indifferent exterior, what were his true feelings? She knew what she felt, but what about him? She thought back.

The look of fright on Shikamaru's face when he understood what Otam had in store for her was enough to prove that he had some feelings for her. Or was that just the concern of a friend? What about when he had saved her from the soldiers? The look of anger on his features when he saw her in their clutches was a look Ino had never seen. It was a look of anger so pure that it had frightened her, and yet at the same time made her love him even more. And then, after saving her, he had hugged her. Not just a light, okay-we're-hugging-when-will-it-be-over hug, but a true hug. She had felt so safe in his arms. Safer then anywhere else.

And then Ino remembered something else. Something that had been buried in the back of her mind, but now it burst forward, occupying all her thoughts.

_She had walked up to Shikamaru at his going away party, determined to tell him her true feelings. They had both wanted to say something. They argued, both wanting the other to go first, even though she had been bursting to say it. Finally, both yelled at the same time, "I l-."_

_What was he going to say? _Then it hit her like a piece of Otam's castle. _He was going to say he loved me. _

"Uh." Ino was snapped out of her thoughts by Choji, who sat up, rubbing his back. He looked around, saw that they were in a forest, saw Ino, then saw Shikamaru. "Well," he said. "I guess we can go home now, right?" He stood, stretching. "I'm gonna go look around. I probably won't be back for, oh, half an hour?" Before Ino could say anything, Choji was walking away.

As he walked, a smile spread on his face. _They had better tell each other now. This is the best chance they'll get._ He sighed._ Ooh, look. Raspberries!_

Ino watched Choji's retreating figure, then her gaze returned to Shikamaru. A leaf had fallen from their tree and had landed on his cheek. She reached over to get it. Her hand paused right over his face. Then, she lowered it, brushing the leaf aside, and let it rest lightly on his cheek. She had never touched Shikamaru's face, except to land the occasional punch (and they had been growing less and less frequent as they had grown older). She stared at his face, taking in every detail, every scratch and bruise Otam had placed there, every strand of hair that had fallen out of his ponytail.

Then he stirred. Ino drew back her hand. One dark eye slowly opened. Shikamaru half expected to wake up in Otam's castle, realizing that his rescue had been just a dream. A warm, happy feeling slowly filled him up as he saw the trees, and the sky, and the clouds.

He felt the slight breeze on his neck and the soft grass underneath him. He smelled the sweet smell of flowers. He heard birds chirping in the trees and the gurgling of a small stream. He could almost taste the sweet juice of the raspberries nearby. And he saw the most beautiful girl in the world looking at him. _Ino._

He sat up, groaning when his back disagreed with him.

"How are you feeling?" Ino asked, an anxious note in her voice.

"As good as someone can feel, after living with Otam for a week." There was more then one sarcastic note in his voice. But when Shikamaru looked at her and caught her eyes with his, there was no sarcasm in them. They were filled with pain, and happiness, and sadness, and something else. Ino was confused, then she realized what it was, and that the same thing was in her eyes as she looked at him.

Ino took a breath, then threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely, just as she had when she and Choji first found him. Except this time, there was no Otam to appear out of nowhere and send Ino down a pit of doom, or to stab Shikamaru in the back. It was just the two of them, here, in this beautiful forest. Alone.

Neither knew how long they stayed like this, not talking but simply enjoying each other's presence after such a prolonged absence. Ino cried at least once, the first time sobbing, the other times just trickles. For a second she thought she felt dampness on her own shoulder, but she could have just imagined it.

Finally, Shikamaru spoke. "Ino, I've got to tell you something." They pulled back so that they could look at each other. But before he could open his mouth to speak, Ino put a finger to his lips, shaking her head slightly.

"I know." She smiled broadly. "And I feel the same way." Then she leaned in and kissed him.

_Troublesome woman_, he thought.

_You lazy bum_, she thought.

_I love you,_ they thought.

It could have just been Choji, entering the clearing but quickly stepping back, but the moment they kissed, the sun shined a little brighter, the birds chirped a little louder, and the raspberries tasted just a little sweeter.

………………………………………………………………………

One more to go. The next chapter will be longer, I think. I hope this was okay. It was my first real lovey scene and I hope it wasn't too corny, or lovey, or just plain bad. Tips for next time would be appreciated, but are not required. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I love you all!


	14. Epilogue

For the last time on this fic...I do not own Naruto! 

Epilogue

"Shikamaru! Come on!" Ino looked around the tree and saw the lanky shadow ninja lying under its shady branches. His eyes were firmly shut. "Shikamaru!"

She stomped over and stood in front of him, hands on hips. "You lazy bum, Choji and Asuma are waiting for us! And here you are, under a tree! _Sleeping_!" She waited for a reaction, but got none. "SHIKAMARU!"

Ever since they had gotten back from their rescue mission three weeks ago, the shadow master had reached a new level of laziness. Upon their arrival, people had greeted them with looks of surprise and happiness. Asuma was happier than he let on, having given Shikamaru a quick hug around the shoulders and a clap on the back. When Ino and Choji asked him why he hadn't come after them, he answered, "I would have loved to go with you, but it would have been very obvious that something was going on if me, a jonin, just disappeared. And especially since my student was taken. They would know exactly where I went, and then they would have tried to stop us. You were better off by yourselves."

Tsunade had listened to their tale and had taken it pretty well. Of course, the fact that they had received so much free money could have quelled any anger she might have felt. The Hokage had used the money from Otam to finish fixing the village, and life pretty much continued on in a normal way, ninja and civilians alike. Only a few things had changed. The first was something Asuma had noticed upon Shikamaru's arrival back home. He caught a glimpse of it when he had greeted Shikamaru, but he wanted to make sure I really was there.

When they reached the Hokage's office, Asuma held Shikamaru back for a second. He put a hand under Shikamaru's chin and held it, meeting his student's eyes and holding them. Asuma saw a new depth to those dark eyes, a pained, haunted look that had not been there before. He had seen this look in many a ninja who come back from their first large-scale battle or a particularly horrible mission. It saddened Asuma to see that one of his team already had those eyes. He wanted to protect his kids because they were like family to him. And even though the jonin's eventual goal was to make all three of them excellent ninja, a part of him wanted them to remain the innocent children he had met on their first day of geninhood.

Shikamaru saw the sad look in his teacher's eyes, and he knew the cause of it was in his own. He gave Asuma his crooked smile and said, "I'm fine, sensei."

Asuma heard this, and after a moment he too smiled. Of course. How could he have been worried about Shikamaru? This boy could handle anything that came his way. He had been given many challenges in his life and had conquered every single one of them. And he would conquer this one, too. A week in a hellhole like Otam's castle would not beat a ninja like Shikamaru.

"Of course. Who ever said you weren't?" He slung an arm around Shikamaru's thin shoulders and walked after Choji and Ino.

Tsunade had refrained from giving Shikamaru missions in the time since his return as a kind of thank-you for bringing them all that money. Shikamaru had taken most of this time to catch up on some desperately needed cloud-watching time, which brings us back to his current situation.

"Shikamaru, did you hear me?!" Ino stamped her foot. "SHIKAMARU!"

He opened one lazy eye. "What?"

Ino let out a yell of frustration. Shikamaru closed his eye again, a smirk on his lips. Ino stared at him for another second, then plopped down on the ground next to him, still fuming. But eventually, the peacefulness of the tree, the shade, and the boy next to her made her anger go away. She slowly relaxed, leaning back against the tree and closing her eyes. Shikamaru shifted a little on the grass so that they were both leaning against the tree, shoulder to shoulder. Their hands drifted together and entwined.

Their first kiss in the woods had ended any walls they had between them. They refrained from any public signs of affection, feeling that no one else needed to see them like this. After all, they each had an image to maintain: Shikamaru as the indifferent and lazy shadow ninja and Ino as the loudmouth, bossy mind-transfer ninja. But when they were together like this, it was a different story.

Ino sighed a contented sigh and put her head on Shikamaru's shoulder. He had gained back some of the weight he had lost during his captivity, but he was still very skinny. Most of his bruises and scrapes had healed by now, except for one particularly nasty one on his shoulder, which the nurse said would probably leave a scar.

Physically, he was almost healed. But mentally, he was not. Ino had also noticed the haunted look that had taken up residence in Shikamaru's eyes. There were also dark circles under his eyes that told Ino he wasn't sleeping well. On their way back to Konoha, Shikamaru had told his two friends what had happened, but not in great detail, and Ino felt that there were several big gaps in his story.

Indeed, Shikamaru had skipped several parts in his story. He did not want to share with his friends the scenes in his mind that left him awake in a cold sweat at night, unable to return to sleep. Ino, Choji, and Asuma all knew that he was leaving things out, but no matter how many times they asked him, he would not tell. He kept those memories locked up in a dark corner of his mind. At least, for the time being. Maybe someday he would open up. And when he did, it would be to the blond girl now dozing on his shoulder. But for now, he didn't want to unleash those horrors on anyone. Shikamaru watched Ino for a second, then followed her lead and was soon fast asleep.

Choji, after waiting with Asuma for twenty minutes, decided that his two missing teammates would not be making an appearance. The four of them were supposed to be at a special ceremony celebrating the final repairs to the last damaged building in the village. Apparently, the nailing of a board to a building was not appealing enough to the pair to make them come.

_Of course, _thought Choji. _Well, if they're not going, why should I? _He said good-bye to Asuma and started off towards Team Ten's most special place.

Choji trudged through the town, looking at the repairs made in the past five weeks to almost every building. All of this had been brought about by Shikamaru. People were no longer sleeping in the evacuation halls because all the homes had been fixed. There was no rubble in the streets, no gaping holes where buildings had been destroyed. Everything was as it had been before the attack. But was it really worth it? Was all of this worth the suffering his best friend had gone through? Shikamaru, despite saying that he was fine, had changed. Whether it was a good way or bad, Choji could not figure that out. He only knew that the Shikamaru whom he had helped rescue was not the same as the one who had been taken.

As Choji crested the cloud-watching hill, he wiped his forehead, panting slightly.

_Would Shikamaru ever really recover? _

Choji walked towards Shikamaru's favorite cloud-watching tree. He saw two figures at its base.

_Could anyone ever recover from something like that?_

When he was a few feet away, he stopped.

_They could recover. But not alone._

He saw his two best friends, leaning against the tree, hands entwined, lost in a peaceful slumber land. Together.

_And Shikamaru was not alone. _

Choji smiled. His friend would recover. Any doubt lurking in his mind was washed away. Because Shikamaru was not alone. He would never be alone.

_He had Ino._

The End

Wow! I'm finally done. I'M SO SAD!!!!!! I've thought about what it must be like to finish an epic story, but now that its here…I'm kind of in shock.

I'm sorry it took a while, but I wanted this chapter to be good. I hope it was. If you didn't think so, I'm sorry. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted. I wanted to sum things up, and yet I wanted something else too. I loved writing the last section. Choji is such a good guy. I wouldn't want to marry him, but I would definitely want him as a friend. Shikamaru and Ino are so lucky to have him.

I'm sorry again for those of you who thought the previous chapter was off. I hope you liked this one better. I put in the part about Shika and Ino not liking to show public affection because it annoys the heck out of me when couples, like, make out in the middle of everything, and stuff. Anyway.

For all of those who have read this story and haven't reviewed yet, I am asking you to please review this chapter. It is the last one, and I would just like to know what you think of this story. Even one word is fine. Just something would be nice. And to all of those who have reviewed so far, thank you SO SO SO SO SO SO SO much.

If I haven't made anything clear, or anyone is confused, just ask me and I'll try and answer it. I tried to make things clear, but this was only my second story.

Oh, and if you're reading this way after I finish it, you can still review! I don't mind!

Okay. A final thank you to everyone who has been with me since the beginning of this story. It means so much to me that you stuck with it. Especially during the plot development. And for those of you who are reading this after I finish, I appreciate you just as much. THANK YOU!

And now, goodbye my readers. For I now pronounce Shikamaru: Lost in Fog….

FINISHED.


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